The Many Roads of Revenge
by BurrowsBoy92
Summary: Lincoln and Michael are free from the Company hands and decide to live normal lives. However, they are soon delved in the drama of saving a kid from the mafia. Please Read & Review! Criticism is welcome! :D
1. Prologue

The Many Roads of Revenge

**Prologue: New Home Plans!**

It has been over four months since Michael was sent to prison. He broke out his brother, Lincoln to save him from being executed on May 11. A lot of things had complicated the escape. Veronica Donovan was supposedly dead, but she tells Lincoln the truth in Panama about how she was still alive. Lincoln was extremely happy after that and relieved that Veronica is alive and so was LJ. However, Sara was also killed in the process in trying to break out a few inmates in Sona. Michael wanted revenge and went to chase Gretchen and Whistler, the man he was being forced to break out. T-Bag, Bellick, and Sucre had bought their way out of Sona with the bird book of Whistler's. T-Bag and Bellick are now on a revenge tour to kill Michael. They lost track of him but then he knows he will run into him again. It was only a matter of time. Sucre had tried to find Lincoln and he explained everything that happened. As Sucre tried to find Lincoln though, he ran into Sara, who was supposed to be dead. He takes her to Lincoln and then all of them try to go and find Michael and stop him from himself.

Michael went back into the states and headed for a guy named "Jason Lief", who was located in Scottsdale, Arizona. He ran into trouble and if it wasn't for an 18 year old kid named Raikel Fueron, Michael would've been killed. Michael took Raikel with him and together they tracked down Gretchen and Whistler. Michael had an inside man though. His name was Alexander Mahone, former FBI Agent. He wanted revenge for everything the Company forced him to do. The three of them managed to expose the Company fully but at a huge cost. Raikel was killed by Gretchen, just before Lincoln, Sucre, LJ, Veronica, and Sara had arrived. Michael made a grave for Raikel in Scottsdale, Arizona. The government decided to completely exonerate Michael, Alex, and Sucre of their crimes in their help of revealing the government conspiracies. The Company has seized to exist, at least for now. Something is stirring up in the midst and it's only a matter of time before something terrible happens.

Michael, Sara, Lincoln, LJ, and Veronica all head back to Chicago, where they all used to live. "I can't believe after all that's happened that this place is still the same," Veronica said as she looked around. She stares at the same buildings that were there. It was as if they didn't even leave Chicago for four months. "I wonder how everyone is doing at my law firm…" she thought. It was the first day of September, and the first day of peace. It was looking bright for the Scofield and Burrows family. "It looks like I'll be heading back to school," LJ remarked as they drive past his old school. When they drive past Lisa Rix's house, LJ's mom's home, LJ feels sad and remembers exactly how his mom died. Paul Kellerman, or Owen Kravecki, and his partner, Daniel Hale had attempted to take LJ's life. LJ managed to get away and he was on the run with Veronica ever since because they managed to pin the two murder charges on him. Lincoln takes a look and snaps LJ back into reality. "It's alright," he comforted LJ. "It's all over. We can finally live together as a family."

"Yeah." LJ smiled. "I'm glad it's over."

They drive up to Veronica's apartment building. Veronica talks to the front desk clerk and he passes the key. As Veronica walks away, the man stops her. "I'm glad you're back, Ms. Donovan."

"It's good to be back." She walks backwards and heads back for Lincoln. They head up to her apartment and there was enough room for everyone. "So what's the plan?" Sara asks as she cooks the coffee in Veronica's big apartment. She finishes the coffee and makes one for everyone except LJ, who gets hot cocoa instead. "Well, with the money we received from the government for everything they put us through, we have enough for Linc and I to open a private firm." Michael calculates how much money it could cost. "And maybe there's enough for you to open a small clinic, unless you prefer to work in a hospital."

"I think I'd prefer the small clinic, but we'll see how it works out." Sara takes a sip of her coffee.

"I want to go back to school tomorrow dad. I want to see what's changed and everything." LJ puts his hot cocoa on the table.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to head back to school so soon?" Lincoln asks. After all that's happened, Lincoln, Michael, and Sara are still front page news. They're famous around the states. People believe that they should still be in prison, others sympathize what they've been through. "Yeah, I'm sure." Everyone sits down and discusses their other plans. It starts to get late and everyone is exhausted from the four months of being on the run. They all turn in for the next day.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The First Day of School**

The morning sun rises early and birds are flying around. It seems like it'll be a great day. LJ gets packed up for school, excited by the prospect that he's finally able to learn again after going through all the hardships in the past. Michael and Lincoln are in the kitchen cooking. Lincoln is cooking his specialty for LJ, Blueberry Pancakes for breakfast. Michael stands around, drinking his coffee. "So are you taking LJ to school for the first day?"

"Yeah. I have to make sure he gets there alright. I'm still shakin' up from what's happened in the past four months. It still doesn't feel right being in one place." He flips over the pancakes in the pan.

"I couldn't sleep at all last night either. It just didn't feel right. Sara slept pretty well though so I'm glad." He takes another sip of his coffee and goes to the table.

"So, did you actually do it last night?"

"What?"

"Did you actually do it last night?" Lincoln takes the pancakes out of the pan and puts it on the plate. He brings it over to the table.

"Linc, what exactly are you talking about?"

"Don't lie to me. I know you did it last night with Sara." LJ walks in from his room into the living room, but stays quiet as he listens to the conversation. Lincoln and Michael don't notice that LJ is standing there.

"Linc, shut up. I didn't do anything last night with Sara."

"Oh please, boy doesn't just go into the same room with girl just to sleep. You know you wanted to do it."

"So what, you probably did the same thing with Veronica." LJ snickers and Lincoln and Michael turn around to see LJ sitting on the couch behind them.

"You didn't hear anything."

"Okay, I didn't hear about how you and Uncle Mike did it last night with Veronica and Sara." LJ laughs. "I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard moaning from both sides of the wall." Sara and Veronica wake up and walk into the dining room. "Wow that smells lovely." Sara sniffs the air some more and grows ravenous.

"Lincoln's specialty, Blueberry Pancakes." Sara and Veronica sit at the table. LJ takes a look at the time and notices it is 7:55.

"I'm going to be late!" LJ grabs his pancakes and puts them into a paper bag. "Bye dad! Bye Uncle! Bye Veronica! Bye Auntie Sara!" LJ runs out the door and heads straight for school which is two miles away.

"Weren't you going drop him off?" Michael asks as he grabs his pancake and puts it on his plate.

"Oops." Lincoln grabs his pancake and eats it in one bite.

LJ runs but happens to see a trailer park on the way to school. He takes no mind of it and runs as fast as he can. After about fifteen minutes of running from Veronica's house, he finally approaches his school, Wentworthville High. He walks into the school, happy to be back and learning. He sees that nothing has changed in the past four months. But everyone seemed to stare at him as he walked to his locker. Some girls began to gossip when LJ walked by them.

"Isn't he that Burrows kid?" she whispered to her friend.

"Yeah he is." They both continue to stare at LJ.

"Don't you feel bad for him?" said another one of the girls.

"Yeah, I am. But I'm even more surprised to see him here in school again."

LJ passes his locker and stops there. He remembers his combination from last year and it opens for him. To his surprise, there were a lot of letters in there. He picks one of them up and opens it. It says "I can't believe you killed your mom. Don't ever come back again!" LJ feels remorse for his mom again, Lisa Rix. He picks up a pink letter on his foot. He opens it and it says "LJ, I know you didn't do it. I wish you were here to read this letter. I feel really bad for everything that you have to go through now. I hope you're alright." It was from one of the girl's in his class, Chanelle. He feels relieved that there are people who care about him. He takes all the letters, except Chanelle's and throws them away. He puts his bag in his locker, takes his books, and heads for his first class.

He walks by the computer room to find a single kid in there. He was sort of small, but rather strong. He was messing with the computers. LJ gets really curious and walks into the room.

"Look, I'm not done fixing your computer yet, Mr. Shumis." He said as he starts a program on the computer. The kid turns around to talk to Mr. Shumis face to face, but he sees LJ instead. "Oh. Sorry. I thought you were Mr. Shumis. He's been bothering me to fix his stupid computer since yesterday." He takes another quick look at LJ. "Hey, aren't you LJ Burrows?"

"Yeah," LJ replies as he looks at the computer. "Why are you all alone in this room here?"

"It's the only place where I can work in peace without having Coach Ruder getting all up in my face for being sent to Juvie before the big game last year." He turns around and continues the program. "What are you doing here anyways? I didn't think you and your dad would be coming back to Chicago. It's an even bigger shock to actually see you here at your old school."

"I decided that I wanted to finish my education and go to college." LJ watches him and tries to figure out what he's doing. He looks around and sees a football jersey sticking outside of the bag. "So, what position do you play?"

"Running-back." He continues to type. "Well I'm almost done and the bell should be ringing soon."

"Shouldn't you be hanging with the football team instead of being in here, working?"

"I would, but the whole team hates me for screwing them over on the big game."

"What were you sent to Juvie for?"

"For looking at your dad's, and uncle's case." LJ was surprised to hear that someone actually believed that someone actually believed they were innocent to begin with.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because unlike all the dumb people who actually read the news and believed your dad was guilty, I didn't, especially after he appealed not guilty." He finishes fixing the computer. Just as he finishes, the bell rings. "Stupid Mr. Shumis. If someone takes his computer, it's not my problem." He packs up his bag and gets ready to leave the room.

"Hey wait." The kid turns around.

"Yeah?"

"What's your name? You know mine, but I don't know yours."

"It's Jake Sienel."

"How would you like to meet my family after school today?"

"Sure. I wouldn't mind meeting your family. I would love to hear all of your stories on the run too." Jake leaves the room and heads up to his class. LJ walks out as well and heads to his class, happy with the fact that he made a new friend on the first day of school.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Lovers and Friends**

After breakfast, they clean the dishes and head in to the lounge room. Veronica takes a seat beside Lincoln and they snuggle up together, Lincoln's arm draped around her pulling her in to him. Michael sits on the single seater with Sara seated on his lap, his arm wrapped around her waist and hers resting atop his. They turn on the TV to see what's on, but nothing interests them so they turn it off again.

"So, what's everyone got planned for the day?" Sara asks, and then giggles as Michael's fingers caress her belly, tickling her slightly. "Babe, you know how ticklish I get, especially there." She slaps his hand lightly and he grabs it and brings it to his lips, placing a tender kiss on each of her knuckles.

"Would you prefer I do this instead?" he asks playfully between each kiss.

"It's better, Scofield, but you know there's one thing I like more than your kisses and that's you tender t..."

"Ah-ah-hem," Lincoln loudly clears his throat, causing Sara to stop mid sentence and look sheepishly over at him.

"Oh, come on, Burrows, we all know it's true," turning to Veronica she nods her head at her and continues, "Tell him Vee, what's better then tender kisses on your knuckles?" She smiles at her and wriggles her eyebrows suggestively, causing the foursome to erupt in laughter.

They settle a few minutes later and Michael reiterates the question Sara had posed before the sexual innuendo began. They decide to go out for lunch, Michael and Lincoln calling this "the first date" for the couples which resulted in a quick kiss from their respective partners as Veronica and Sara lifted themselves off their sofas and made their way to their rooms to get ready.

"I can't believe I have her in my life again, Mike." Lincoln's voice is low and full of emotion but a smile is plastered across his face as he speaks. "I thought I had lost her, that day when I..." he falters and finds himself unable to continue as the ringing of gunshots sounds in his ears, the same sound that had haunted him since the moment he heard them and thought her lost to him forever.

Seeing the distress on his brother's face, Michael places a hand on his shoulder and offers him a warm smile. "It's ok, bro. She's here now, safe and alive and happy. We can put all that stuff behind us and start fresh, Linc. That's what this is all about, starting fresh and getting our lives sorted out again."

"I know Michael, but sometimes I think this is some twisted dream and someday I'm gonna wake up and find myself back in that dark cell in Fox River or worse, on the run living in a world where Veronica no longer exists."

"I know Linc, me too sometimes. But then I wake up and I find Sara lying next to me and I'm holding her in my arms and I know that it just cannot be a dream." He stops a moment and with a sparkle in his eye's he continues. "This is real, Linc, Veronica is not a dream, this whole life we're living right now, it's real Linc, it's all real."

Nothing more is said after that and five minutes later the ladies reappear. They are both dressed casually, in skinny leg jeans (laughing at the coincidence of them both having the same True Religion jeans on) and casual tops slightly dressed up with accessories and make up.

Lincoln and Michael take a moment to admire their women, each couple sharing another kiss, deeper and more passionate than the rushed one the ladies had supplied them with earlier. It is a few minutes after midday when they are heading out the door the soft click of the lock falling in to place eases them just that little bit more.

They pile in to Lincoln's car and drive down to Bluegrass Café, having already decided this date of theirs would be a casual affair. The car ride is a hustle bustle of chatter, laughter and the low thrum of the radio as the foursome enjoy quality time with each other, talking about the most inane of subjects, desperately trying to make their lives as normal as they can once more.

They are about five minutes from the café when the opening chord to Cindy Lauper's _Girls Just Wanna Have Fun_ begins to play on the radio. Veronica and Sara immediately begin to croon away to the song, bopping in the backseat to a very amused Michael and Lincoln. The final words of the song are sung just as Lincoln pulls in to the parking lot, and Veronica and Sara share a knowing smile between themselves: girls do just want to have fun, and they are no exception.

They exit the car and walk in to the café. They receive a few stares from people who had obviously been following the news during their escape fiasco and beeline to a booth in the far corner of the café, wanting as much privacy as they can get. The booth also provides them with a somewhat intimate setting, and they take a seat and order drinks from the waiter before picking up their menus.

"I guess that fillet mignon will have to wait a little longer, Sara." Michael tells her sheepishly from his position beside her as he slides his hand up and down her leg under the table. She looks back at him with a twinkle in her eye and just smiles, amazed that through everything that had happened, he remembered that one small, almost dreamlike conversation they had in the back seat of a car so many months ago.

Across the table from them, Lincoln and Veronica have abandoned their menus and are engaged in some serious lip-time, as though indifferent to the rest of the patrons, namely the one's sitting directly opposite. This time, it's _ahem_ that brings them back to reality and a slight blush creeps over Veronica's smiling face.

"Sorry guys," Lincoln smiles at his brother and Sara, "Let's order us some grub." He turns around and ushers a waiter passing them by. After a few minutes, they've ordered their meals and another round of drinks as they wait for appetisers, which arrive five minutes later.

Over lunch, they talk about everything and anything. Over dessert, they talk about everything and anything. Things that are important, things that not, trivial things, random facts; anything that is deemed a normal conversation is spoken of. What they don't talk about is Fox River, or Sona, or Panama, or the Company, or anything that they went through because of them. Today they want to be normal people doing normal things, not the notorious criminals they had been perceived as, nor the infamous ones who had been involved in _that_ great conspiracy.

After dessert and coffee have finished, they pay the cheque and leave the café. More patrons gawp at them unashamedly as they make their way out, but they are indifferent to them, showing that ignorance truly is bliss. Lincoln unlocks the car and he and Veronica climb in, Veronica taking the passenger seat to be next to him while Michael and Sara linger outside a moment linger. Grabbing Veronica's hand Lincoln places a soft on her knuckles.

"You know," she whispers with a smirk on her face, "there _is_ only one thing better then a kiss on the hand, Burrows."

"Oh?" he replies, going along with the playful banter. "And what would that be?" He doesn't let her respond instead he leans over and plants a kiss on her lips. Opening his mouth, he runs his tongue around the edge of her lips, asking for access granted immediately. The kiss is deep and passionate and Lincoln's hands find their way from hers to around her back and he slides his hand over her clothed back slowly.

Veronica pulls out of the kiss and looks at him breathlessly. No words are said, the sexual tension in the air so thick it was visible. Turning from Veronica, Lincoln winds down his window and looks over at his brother and Sara, standing a few feet from the car immersed in a silent conversation.

"Uh, guys," he speaks quickly as he starts the ignition, "Vee and I are heading home we'll see you there later ok. Bye." By the time he speaks the final word, he has already pulled the car out of the parking lot, Sara and Michael fast becoming tiny dots in the distance.

They stare between each other in shock, then slowly, like thunder brewing in the distant, waves of laughter pour out of each of them, starting in a low chuckle, then erupting in to something much louder and raucous.

After a few minutes on non-stop laughing, Sara finally manages to string together a coherent sentence. "Can you believe those two, acting like sex-crazed maniacs and all?"

"Actually I can," is Michael's swift reply, "Because you know if we had gotten in the car before them, I wouldn't have bothered telling them anything, just drove away to get in to the real action." He wriggles his eyebrows up and down at her.

She shakes her head and laughs at his comment. Grabbing his arm she says "Come on, Scofield, show me the city through your eyes." They link arms and begin to walk away from the restaurant, looking as much the happy couple they truly are.

Lincoln parks the car and the two of them step out and make their way back to the house. In the elevator, they find they are alone. They huddle in to the corner and he pins her against the wall and sends his lips crashing on hers again. They don't get the chance to deepen it for too long as the electronic voice of the elevator tells them the doors are opening on the fourth level. They hastily pull apart as three other people join them in the tiny box.

A minute later, they are on their level and Lincoln almost breaks in to a run, rushing to get to their door. Swiftly pulling the key out of his pocket and sliding it in to the lock, he steps inside then turns and grabs Veronica out of the doorway as she had just appeared. Kicking the door closed behind him, he tosses her bag aside and the keys aside, all the while keeping his lips firmly planted on hers.

He guides her to the bedroom, wanting nothing more than to rip her clothes off and take her then and there, but he refrains. The back of her knees hit the bed frame and he gently guides her downwards, falling lightly on top of her.

His arms skim over her lithe figure, trailing from her hair, gently caressing each and every part of her body until they come to rest on her hips. He squeezes them gently, pulling in to him slightly more. Several minutes pass before he breaks away from her mouth and begins a trail of tender butterfly kisses down the length of her body. He kisses the area just below her belly button the starts up again. When he reaches her face, he plants a deep kiss on her lips, pulls himself off the bed, and closes the door, ready now to feed the screaming beast within them both.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Do You See What I See?**

Michael and Sara walk away from the restaurant's parking lot where they'd just been left stranded. They'd yet to figure out what they were going to do and frankly it didn't matter much, to be together was what they had wanted and both are more than content to spend their time in a park side by side as long as they are in the other's company.

"So you want to see the city through my eyes?" he asks her, his hand moving to hold hers, a smile instantly tugging at his lips when he feels her smooth skin against his.

"Of course." she caresses his hand in hers and smiles as she brings it to her lips and kisses it. _Like two hands linked as one, so to our hearts are linked_, she thinks silently to herself, her heart filling joy. "I want to see what you see, what you love."

"Ok." He smiles at her, a list of ideas running through his mind as he tries to think of his favorite places in the city. After a few minutes of quick thinking, he decides to share with her his passion for the architecture of the city. He knows it's not romance in essence, but he hopes his passion for the magnificent buildings captures her attention as much as it had him.

"I'll be back in a second babe." He tells her, untangling his hand from hers then making his way to the payphone across the street before she has the chance to ask what he's doing. She watches him as he steps in to the booth and closes the door behind him. As he picks up the receiver, his hands slides in to his pocket and he pulls out what she thinks to be change for the phone.

She waits around patiently for him to come back when she realizes that Michael never leaves home without his phone, and today was no different. She knows, then, he is planning something and smile creeps up on her face to slowly form in to a small giggle. Whatever he was doing, she knew it would be perfect.

She trains her gaze back on the phone booth and watches as he emerges from within and makes his way back across the street towards her. She doesn't question his strange behavior but waits for him to fill her in on whatever plans he had just made.

He simply smiles at her and takes hold of her hand once more. "Come on, babe." With her hand in his, he motions for a taxi. They climb in to the back seat; Michael gives the driver the address of where they're heading then settles in beside her, his hand coming to rest on her thigh.

"We're going to Sears Tower?" she asks, recognizing the address immediately.

"We are." He tells her, his hand sliding up and down her thigh slowly, caressing her inner thigh making it a struggle for her to think clearly. She puts her hand on his to still his movement and he looks at her bemusement sparkling in his eyes.

"Unless you want the cabbie to hear moan the way I moan for you, I suggest you take your hand off my thigh and hold my hand instead." Her whisper is so close to his ear, the warmth of her breath sends goose bumps all over his body. He gives her thigh one last squeeze then removes his hand and holds hers as she asked, thinking about the great big bed that would be waiting for them that night.

"So," Sara pikes up, gently caressing his hand in hers, "what's so special about Sears Tower that you decide to take me there now?"

"You'll just have to wait and see, sweetie." He smiles and she melts from the inside out._ Damn him and his hypnotizing eyes_ she thinks to herself, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

"Fine, but it better be worth it, Scofield, or you sleep on the couch for the rest of the week." He catches on to her teasing but doesn't reply, knowing for a fact that certain threat would never be complied by both parties. He grins at her smiling face, the rest of the ride spent in silence as they hold each other's hand.

The taxi pulls up in front of Sears ten minutes later. Sara tries to pay for the taxi but Michael is quick to refuse, pulling out his own wallet and paying the cabbie before he and Sara exit the vehicle. It drives off and they are left among the sea of people, mingling around the entrance to the tower she had visited so many times as a child.

Holding her hand once more, he leads her to the entrance of the building, all the while a smile playing across his lips. She wonders what he has planned here and almost asks him, but decides against it knowing that not only would he refuse to tell her, but her own excitement she does not want to ruin by asking. So they walk together towards the elevators, both excited by the surprise he has in stall for her, Sara not realizing the slight nod and smile he gives the lady at the concierge desk.

He pushes the "Up" button on the elevator and they wait, along with the many others in the lobby, for either of the doors to open. "As a Chicago native, I take it you've been here before?" he asks her, his eyes trained on the closed door before him.

"A few times before my mom died, my dad brought us here for dinner." She nods, the memories of those days so long ago having filtered through her mind when she realized back in the taxi where they were headed. "But it's changed since then." She adds as though just realizing the granite flooring and the hanging mobiles in the lobby.

This time he does turn his head towards and nods in agreement. "My firm, my _old_ firm," he corrects himself, "actually did the refurbishing for this back in 2002." She turns her gaze to him and finds him smiling at the memory. She is shocked to hear this as she always is when he shares random tidbits about his life pre- Fox River, or as she thought of it, pre-Sara Tancredi.

"Well you guys did a wonderful job, Mike." She tells him and she means it, gazing in awe at the lobby that looks almost like it's encased in gold.

"I think we did, too." He agrees, his eyes skimming the lobby as he remembers that day that now feels like a dream. The elevator doors ding open and they turn their gaze towards the crowd of people streaming out and in to the lobby. Once the elevator is emptied out, they step inside and Sara realizes no body follows them in.

She turns to face him as the doors close and she knows he has everything to do with the fact they are alone in there. "What have you done?" she asks him, leaning in to him and planting a deep kiss on his lips. His tongue caresses hers and his hands cup her bottom, gently caressing her. They pull out of the kiss a moment later but he does not let go of her, continuing to hold her close to his body. "You'll find out soon enough, Tancredi." His eyes twinkle and he continues to caress her bottom and hold her gaze. She doesn't question him again but waits patiently for the ding of the opening doors. She knows they are headed for the Sky Deck but she also knows there is more to it than just that. A moment later they hear the sound of the ding and the doors open.

She smiles up at him before turning and walking out of the elevator, pulling him out behind her. She doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary as she walks around the Skydeck, the murals on the wall capturing her attention much the same way they had when she was a child.

Michael's hand remains in hers and he pulls her back slightly forcing her to come to a complete stop. She turns to face but he says nothing, just smiles down at her. She notices then the quiet of the room around them and knows that somehow, Michael organized for them to be alone up here. How he managed she does not know but guesses it has something to do with the refurbishing job he did with his old firm six years ago.

"Michael," he cuts her off with another kiss mirroring the one they shared in the elevator. The difference being he takes his time with this kiss, bringing his hands to her hair and running his fingers through her silky locks. Her own hands slide down his back and she slips them beneath his shirt, stroking his bare back, lightly grazing him with her fingernails.

He pulls away from her lips and places a trail of soft kisses down to her neck, then slowly further down to place a soft kiss atop each of her heaving breasts. Her hands slide from his back down to the top of his jeans and she slips them in to caress his boxer-clad bottom. His lips travel back up her neck to find her lips once more. He takes them in his own and pushes her up against the wall, her hands sliding out of his pants to take hold of his head.

They stay against the wall, kissing like deprived teenagers until the need for air is too strong to ignore. Panting hard, he leans in towards and pecks her lips one last time then waits until both of them have regained their breath.

A moment later, he pulls her off the wall and takes her to the viewing area. They stand and look out at the city they've both called home their entire life. He takes his position behind her and wraps his arms around her waist, bringing his head to rest on her shoulder.

"Wow," the word is breathed out, barely above a whisper as she stands on the Skydeck of the Sears Tower, looking out at the city before her. Her eyes fixed on the view below staring out at the place she had known her whole life as though she had only just discovered it for the first time. "It's beautiful up here, Michael."

"It is, isn't it?" He stands behind her, turning his head so that he is now facing her, he places a kiss on her soft and inviting cheek. "Did you know the Sears Tower is the tallest tower in the whole of the US?" She nods but does not speak and he continues with the information he has burned in his mind. "For 25 years it was the tallest tower in the world until the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur were built in 1998. It's 1450 feet tall, but including the antennas the tower reaches 1725 feet."

"Wow, I didn't know it was that tall." She whispers in amazement, still mesmerized by the image before. She had come here with her family as a child but that Michael made it so they were alone gave her a whole new perspective on it.

He takes an arm from around her waist and points out the various landmarks she had seen so many times in her life but realizes she did not know their history, the history Michael had etched in his mind. While she can't see each and every landmark clearly, she sees them in her mind's eye and the picture he paints for her with his magical voice.

Pointing his hand to right, he guides her to where he knows the Buckingham Memorial Fountain to be. "And the final and my most favorite landmark is…"

"The Bucking Memorial Fountain." she finishes for him and he nods against her shoulder, "dedicated to the people of Chicago by Kate Buckingham and opened May 26, 1927."

He is impressed by her knowledge of the structure and continues with his own. "Edward H. Bennett designed the fountain to represent Lake Michigan with four sea horses, built by Marcel Loyau, to symbolize the four states that touch the lake: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

"Kate Buckingham wanted the fountain's lighting to mirror the soft glow of the moonlight and spent many nights working the colors of the glass until she was able to produce the right ethereal, mystical aura." His voice is low in her ear as he tells her the story of the fountain, making it all the more mystical and somewhat romantic.

She continues to stare out at the city with new eyes and knowledge he provided her. It's a whole new place she watches through with a whole new appreciation.

Michael's voice comes from beside her, low and sweet like chocolate. "But you know what the most beautiful site in the city is?" he asks her, squeezing her stomach a little tighter.

"What?" she questions, mesmerized by the fountain he had just described for her. Though she couldn't glimpse it properly from their point in the tower, she had been there before as a child with her parents.

"You, Sara," he tells her, her gazing shifting from the city to the man beside her. "You are the most beautiful site I have ever come across." His eyes are so intense, so serious, but within them, a warmth, a truth, exists and it melts her heart. Her legs feel like jelly and her breath catches in her throat. Did he know what his eyes did to her; did he realize what _he_ did to her?

She turns in his arms and faces him, his lips once more meet hers for another kiss they just can't seem to get enough off. Pulling out of it, she looks him in the eye and smiles. "I love you, so much I love you those words are a meager comparison to the feeling you ignite in my heart."

"Oh, Sara, I love you like I never knew possible. Linc is my brother, he is always in my heart, but you Sara, you, you are something different." He places another kiss on her lips then guides her back to the elevator so they can make their way back home.

"Thank you for a wonderful day, Michael." Sara tells him as they wait for the elevator to open and he leans in to her and feels her warmth beside him more happy in that moment than he can remember being in a long time.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Remembering the Past**

LJ has a wonderful day at school and meets up with Jake Sienel right outside at 3:30 P.M. Together, they both walk to Veronica's house.

They pass by the trailer park. "When did they add a trailer park?" LJ takes a look at all the trailers.

"Let's go." Jake rushes ahead, forcing LJ to hurry up.

"What's the matter?" LJ asks as he catches up.

"Let's just go and hurry to your place." Jake looks straight ahead. LJ starts to wonder what is up with him and why did he force him to rush.

"Hey, I never caught that much information about you except for what you do. How old are you?

"I'm 14, just two years younger than you."

"How do you know how old I am?"

"The news. Your whole family is famous for what they went through."

"And you're in 11th grade, like me?"

"They bumped me up because they thought I would be better challenged. It wasn't much of a difference than my freshman year."

After about half an hour of walking, they finally reach Veronica's house. LJ walks in the door first and Jake waits outside.

"Hey, I'm home!"

"Hey LJ! How was your first day at school?" Veronica asks from her position beside Lincoln on the sofa.

"School was great. But it was kind of weird at first because everyone was staring at me."

"I knew that would happen." Lincoln remarked quietly to himself.

"But I did make one new friend."

"Who is he?"

LJ signals Jake to come in.

"His name is Jake Sienel. He's a running-back on the football team. Also, he's 14 and he's in the same grade as me. They decided to bump him up a couple of years because they think he could've used the challenge. But he sort of screwed himself over-"

"I'll cover that." Jake quickly interrupts.

"I screwed myself over last school year when I got myself sent to Juvie."

"Why did you get sent to Juvie?" Michael asks.

"For hacking in places where I'm not supposed to hack; I was looking at yours and Mr. Burrows' case."

Michael remembers those exact words. It came directly out of Raikel's mouth when he asked him that, except he wasn't sent to Juvenile Hall or prison. Michael flashes back to when he first runs into Raikel.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because I looked into your brother's case and immediately knew he was innocent. Once I heard about how Paul Kellerman, or Owen Kravecki, came out with information about the Company, I knew I had to find you to help you. I want to take the Company down as well and help fix everything wrong that's happened to you and your brother."

"Why are you going to such lengths to help me and my brother?"

"Because I'm part of the Anti-Company group, and if I help you take them down, I'm keeping a promise to a friend who died from the Company."

Michael snaps back into reality after remembering his encounter with Raikel.

"So you believed that Michael and Lincoln were innocent?" Sara asks.

"Yes. I'm here now because I wanted to hear about your stories on the run."

So the five of them tell Jake their stories about what happened in the past four months. Veronica pointed out how the Company captured her and held her captive until they could figure out how to use her against Michael and Lincoln. Sara points out how she stayed alive in Panama. Michael and Lincoln tell their stories about Fox River and Sona. Jake was rather intrigued by all of the stories and what each of them went through. He completely avoids telling his story though.

He had listened intently as each told their version of events, the time completely bypassing him. When they'd finished and he realized it was already 6.30, he stood up in a panic.

"Oh my god, I got to go!"

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Sara asks as she and Veronica begin to cook dinner.

"I can't. I have to get home."

"Where do you have to go?" Lincoln offers as he puts his cup of water down. "I'll drop you off."

"It's ok, I don't live far; I'll just run." Jake grabs his stuff and hurries towards the door. "It was great to meet all of you!" The moment he steps outside he begins running full speed toward the trailer park, praying his father's too drunk to realize how late he is.

"He's really nice LJ." Michael remarks as he sits down on the couch. "I mean to be sent to Juvie for looking at my case and not being killed by the Company makes him lucky to be alive." Thunder claps as a storm brews in the heavens. A moment later, rain falls thick and heavy from the skies and Linc stands by the window, deep in thought.

"A thunderstorm…" Lincoln whispers to himself; growing more worried as the sky becomes a darker shade of black.

"I hope he makes it home safely." He sighs then moves away from the window and takes a seat next to his brother, his thoughts never straying far from his son's new found friend.

Jake ran as quickly as he could from the Veronica's house, ignoring the rain slapping across his face. He's drenched to the core by the time he makes it to the caravan park. Rushing through to the van in the far corner, he pulls the door open, and practically throws himself inside, closing the door quickly behind him. He doesn't notice his father leaning against the wall parallel to the door until he hears his low, malicious voice.

"You're late! And you didn't cook my dinner!"His voice was like a cold knife slicing through Jake's guts.

"I –I –I'm s-sorry, dad." Jake stammers, more from fear than the blistering cold he feels. "I-I lost track of the t-time and…"

"I don't want to hear your excuses!" With reflexes as fast as a cheetah, his father has lunged off the wall, revealing the bat he had obviously been holding behind his back, and grabs a hold of Jake. "You know the rules, boy!" He hears the voice of poison a second before the bat comes crashing down over his body. Jake can only cover his head from the relentless beating.

He doesn't know how long it lasts, but afterwards, his father roughly pulls him up and throws him out of the trailer.

"Don't come back until tomorrow afternoon to cook dinner!" The door slams, visibly shaking the trailer on impact.

Jake grabs his bag and heads for the nearby homeless shelter, hobbling along, his pain making him oblivious to the rain. He tries to walk in but someone stops him from entering.

"I'm sorry kid, the shelter's full for the night. You may want to try the one over at St Fernando's." The man smiles warmly at Jake and apologizes then goes back in to the shelter.

Jake walks away, holding his arm, fearing it may be fractured or worse, broken. "What am I going to do?" he thought to himself as he stares blankly at the ground, knowing that Saint Fernando's is too far from school for him. He quickly remembers LJ and heads for Veronica's house.

Back at Veronica's house, Veronica and Sara finish cooking when they hear the thunder roar. "Do you think Jake made it back alright?" She asks, concern creeping over her features. "It's pouring really badly right now, worse than before." Veronica puts the food on the table and notices Lincoln completely distracted and worried as he stares out the window once more.

"I think he'll be fine." Sara says as she puts the plates and silverware on the table. Michael takes a look at Lincoln and notices that he's completely out of it.

"What's bothering you?"

Lincoln snaps out of it. "What?"

"Are you worried about Jake?"

"No, I'm not. It's just that-" The doorbell rings.

"I'll get it!" LJ heads for the door and opens it. Jake is standing right outside.

"Jake, what are you doing? Come in!"

Jake walks in, bracing his arm with his hand.

"Jake are you alright?" Sara asks.

"I'm fine. I just lost my keys so I can't go home. Is it okay if I stay here for tonight?"

"Where are your parents?" Lincoln asks.

"My dad's not going to be back for awhile so I'm home alone. But I don't have my keys anymore. I was going to sleep in the homeless shelter for tonight but I was too late and they filled up. This was my last resort."

Michael begins to take a look and sees that Jake is embracing his arm as if he was in pain.

"Did you run into trouble on the way home?"

"What?"

"You're bracing your arm as if you were hurt. Did you get hurt?"

"Oh, uh, I just tripped on the way here. It was raining and I lost my footing."

Michael knows that Jake is lying but decides to not push the truth out of him.

"We're about to eat dinner care to join us?" Veronica asks.

"Sure." Jake sits down at the table and everyone else joins in. Jake takes a lot of food and eats it fast. Everyone just stares at him. Jake realizes that everyone is staring at him after awhile. "What did I do?"

"Do you even eat when you're at home?" Lincoln asks as he finally takes a bite off his plate.

"I usually don't get food as delicious as this."

"I hardly get food at all to begin with." Jake mutters to himself.

"What was that?" asked Sara who was sitting right next to Jake.

"I think I'm done so I'll just put my plate in the sink and wash it." Jake takes his plate and washes it in the sink in an attempt to avoid answering Sara's question. "If anyone else is finished, I'll do their dishes as well."

Everyone finishes their dinner and they put their plates in the sink. Lincoln walks up to Jake as he was washing the dishes. "I'll do the dishes. You don't have to. You're a guest."

"Even if I'm the guest, I shouldn't just knock on your door late at night, even in this kind of emergency." As he washes the plate, he feels a sparking pain in his left shoulder. He drops the plate in the sink he was washing. Luckily, the plate didn't break. He braces his left shoulder a lot more, hoping to reduce the pain.

"I'll take over. There is no need for you to hurt yourself." Lincoln walks over and finishes off the rest of the dishes. Jake goes and sits on the couch, and watches TV. He keeps his jacket on to avoid showing all of the bruises from the beatings he'd just received from his dad, Jurell Sienel.

Afterwards, LJ says goodnight and heads up to bed early, tired from his first day back at school. Sara, Veronica, Michael, and Lincoln make coffee, but they drink it in the kitchen, deciding to leave Jake in the lounge room in case he wanted to sleep.

"So, what'd the lovebirds get up to after we ditched you this afternoon?" Lincoln asks with laughter in his voice.

"Definitely nothing as exciting as you two horny teenagers, that's for sure." Michael's comment causes the four adults to laugh and Veronica's cheek to turn a slightly darker shade of red.

"But, seriously, how was your day with Michael?" Veronica asks again, genuinely interested in knowing what the pair did after Linc's sex-driven behavior.

"I loved it. But he almost lost it when everything wasn't going as planned. You should've seen his face. It started turning red like that airhead commercial." They both look at Michael.

"What? That guy was really messing everything up with the plan."

"You never use the toilet without a plan." Lincoln walks over. "It's one of your weaknesses. Once the pieces of your plan start to fall apart, you fall apart."

"Is today attack the engineer day or what?" Everyone laughs again at his comment.

Veronica tries to stifle a yawn but it's to no avail. "Wow I'm tired." She gets up and stretches, failing to conceal yet another yawn. "Coming, Linc?"

"I'll be there soon, babe."He smiles at her and she leans down, planting a soft kiss on his lips. They don't let themselves deepen it for fear of not being able to stop. She pulls away, says her goodnights to all and heads to their bedroom.

"Come on Michael," Sara stands and takes the empty cups to the sink, "let's go to sleep. You have to prepare to get your new firm ready so you can finally have a job." Michael gets up and she comes to stand beside him, leaning in to him, they share a small smile.

"Goodnight Linc, goodnight Jake." They call out softly to the boy.

"Goodnight." They both reply as Michael and Sara head towards their room.

Making his way over to the lounge room, Lincoln takes a seat on the only other chair in the room. "So, how long are you going to stay up?"

"Not long. I'll probably go to sleep once you head in."

"Do you need anything before I go?"

"No, not really. I'm already lucky that I have somewhere to sleep where it doesn't smell like someone died. Homeless Shelters suck, but they were my only choices."

"So you really did get yourself sent to Juvie for looking into my case?"

"Yeah, and according to your story about the Company, I'm lucky they didn't come after me. Maybe it was because I was… never mind."

"Because you were what?" Lincoln asks, his curiosity piqued by the sudden confession.

"It's nothing. I was… stupid back then."

"You can trust me, I was sent to Juvie a lot when I was growing up."

"I bet it wasn't for my kind of reason."

"No it wasn't, but they were for the wrong reasons. But if you don't want to tell me, that's fine."

They were silent for a minute, just looking around. Jake stared blankly at the floor, as if he was examining the square patterns on Veronica's carpet. They were brown and plaid.

Sensing he isn't going to open up to him tonight, Lincoln decides not to push him any further and stands up. He goes to the linen closet and grabs a pillow and blanket for Jake then helps him set up the futon. "Well, good night, Jake."

"Good night, Mr. Burrows; and thanks again for letting me crash here tonight"

"Anytime, Jake, sleep well." With that Lincoln walks into the room Veronica was sleeping and turned off the lights. The only lights in the room were the small lamps Veronica had around. He climbs in to the bed beside her and she instinctively sidles in closer to him, embracing the warmth his body has provided. He drapes his arm around her body and kisses the top of her head. His mind is still on the boy asleep in their lounge room, wondering what _his_ story is. He doesn't fall asleep.

Jake settles in to the sofa bed and turns to face the window. The blinds have been pulled back and he watches the buildings, thinking about his life and these kind people he met.

"Should I tell them? Should I get them involved in my problems at home?" He thought to himself. "No, I shouldn't ruin their new found freedom and happiness. Last person I told about my problems got in way too deep and was found dead in an alley near the trailer park. The stupid mafia my dad is in is protecting him. And as long as he's protected, anyone I involve will be screwed. I just have to wait until I can finally get away from him completely without the mafia to tail me."

He feels his arm as he looks outside. He rolls up his sleeve to check it, already knowing there will be bruising all over it. "Damn it this hurts. So do my stupid ribs. I better avoid showing them these. I don't want to cause trouble for anyone. They've been good to me and I don't want to hurt them." He falls asleep, dreaming of a life that would have been had his mother still been around.

In Michael and Sara's room, Michael can't sleep.

"What's wrong?" Sara asks, unable to sleep with Michael shifting beside her.

"It's Jake. He lied to us. He dropped the plate when he was washing it. That doesn't happen from a simple fall."

"I thought I was the doctor in the family. I guess I could take a look at his arm tomorrow."

"There's something up with Jake and he doesn't want to tell us. Veronica is heading back to work tomorrow and I'm going to ask her to look into Jake's file. If he did get sent to Juvenile Hall for looking at my case so it should be there, maybe."

Sara cuddles up closer to Michael. "I can't wait until we have our own place. Just you and me, one house, lots of room to do things."

"All we need is time Sara. But I want to watch over Jake, so we're going to take him with us when we pick up LJ from school tomorrow."

"Are you sure he'll want to come with us? Even though he lost his keys, he may just head to the homeless shelter instead."

"Jake is LJ's newest friend. Especially with all that's happened, I know that some kids and people think that LJ really did kill his parents. So it's already hard enough for him to be out in the public again." Sara and Michael kiss and turn around. "But for now, you're mine."

The two of them kissed passionately, his lips touching hers softly. A moan is heard through the room but who it belongs to doesn't matter as they lose themselves in their love.

LJ wakes up in the room next to theirs. "Damn it Uncle Mike. Why do you have to do that again tonight?" LJ says to himself. He takes a pillow and covers his head to block out the moaning noise.

Lying down next to Veronica, Lincoln is lost in his thoughts about Jake, thinking what a nice guy he really is and what courage he must possess to have done something that may have cost him his life. The fact that he believed in Lincoln's innocence touches Lincoln's heart. Only one other person outside his family, not including Veronica who was practically in the family, had believed in him enough to do something so extreme it nearly cost her life, and he would always feel indebted to Sara for leaving that door open for them.

He shifts, moving his arm from around Veronica's waist to rub the bridge of his nose, as he wonders about Jake's arm and if the boy really did fall or if there is something more behind it. He senses it's the latter, seeing as the boy had been cautious not to reveal anything to them. Beside him, Veronica awakes at the loss of his arm around her. Finding him awake, she shifts closer and plants a kiss on his lips.

"What's bothering you, Linc?" She asks, her arms wrapping around his waist. "Why aren't you sleeping?" When he doesn't answer immediately she looks into his eyes and sees the worry, knowing immediately what's on his mind. "Oh, I understand, you're worried about Jake. Don't worry; he's strong like you, Linc. Also, he's just as smart as Michael. He's like LJ."

"He was sent to Juvenile Hall on our account. And I'm actually touched that someone else cared about us."

"Is my Lincoln getting soft?" Veronica teases.

"No." Lincoln answers fast. Veronica chuckles. "It's just, well, I'm worried. You saw how fast he ate the food at the table and I also noticed him drop the plate he was cleaning in the sink and he started to hold his arm, like it was in a greater pain. There's no way he fell that hard."

"He probably just skipped breakfast." Veronica kisses Lincoln on the lips. "I'm glad that you're not as tough as before Lincoln. Why don't you go check on Jake and see if he's still asleep. Tomorrow, when I head back to work, I think I'll take a look at Jake's file."

Lincoln gets up. As he walks for the door, he turns around and looks at Veronica. "Veronica, I'm glad you're still alive. I love you."

"I love you too Linc."

Lincoln walks out to check on Jake. He sees that Jake has managed to kick the covers off of his body. As he walks towards the sofa to fix this slight problem, he notices tiny beads of sweat on the boy's forehead. His brows furrow and he wonders what a fourteen year old could be dreaming that was so bad and terrifying. He tucks the covers back around Jake. Jake moves around slightly and grabs his arm again. "Don't hurt me…" Jake mutters out in his sleep. He grips his arm even more.

Jake's words send shivers up Lincoln's spine, praying that the boy was only dreaming and not referring to some real life experience. "No one is going to hurt you Jake. Now sleep tight."

Jake hears the comforting words of Lincoln in his dream. He loosens the grip on his arm and sleeps peacefully. Lincoln turns off the lamps and heads back into Veronica's room, but not before leaving Jake an origami paper crane on the table in front of the sofa.


	6. Chapter 5 through 8

**Chapter 5: When Push Comes to Shove**

The morning sun rises and it's a good day! It's Friday and everyone is ready to have fun. Jake wakes up. He notices that he's well tucked in by the fact that there was a blanket on him. He looks around and sees a paper crane on the coffee table. Jake realizes that someone woke up in the middle of the night to tuck him in nice and tight. He smiles and then looks at the time. It was 8:00 AM. "Oh crap! I need to hurry and cook breakfast for dad or I'm going to be screwed!" he thought to himself. He takes his bag and leaves a note on the table for everyone to read. He departs the house and rushes to the trailer park.

Lincoln wakes up half an hour after Jake leaves. He decides to check on Jake again. He doesn't wake up Veronica as he gets up. He opens the door to get out of the room he is in and looks into the living room. He sees that Jake is gone but notices a note on the table. He picks it up and reads it. It says:

"Dear Mr. Burrows and Mr. Scofield,

Thank you for allowing me to spend the night on your sofa and for the great dinner you provided. I'm sorry to leave you without seeing you first but I just remembered I had prior engagements that I need to get to. If it's ok with you, I'll be back later as I've misplaced my keys and my father won't be home till the evening. Thanks again.

Jake.

Lincoln makes his way in to the kitchen to start their breakfast, surprising himself as the small joy he finds in cooking for the people he loves. He hears someone shuffle in to the kitchen and turns to find LJ rubbing his eyes and walking around like the living dead.

"Didn't get enough sleep last night?" he asks, smiling at the sight of his son.

"Uncle Mike was at it again last night so it was hard to, well, sleep."

Lincoln chuckles. "Well, Jake was gone when I woke up, left me a note; said he had some stuff he needed to get done."

"Did he say what this stuff was?" LJ asks, unable to suppress the yawn.

"No, he didn't, just said he had prior engagements that he needed to get to and that he'd be back later on since he's lost his keys and his dad isn't home." LJ nods and watches as his father pulls out a pan and place it on the stove.

"So what's everyone else up to for the day?"

"Well," Lincoln replies, pulling out the eggs, bacon and the butter from the fridge and the hash browns from the freezer and taking them back to the bench, "Veronica is back at work today her old firm are more than happy to have her back." The bacon sizzles in the pan, "Michael and Sara are headed to the bank for some financial advice for the firm we want to get up and running and for Sara's clinic."

"Do you guys know where you want to open the firm and the clinic?" LJ asks as Lincoln scoops the bacon out of the pan and cracks the eggs for cooking.

"We're taking this one step at a time, bud. That will be discussed soon though."

They sit in silence as Lincoln continues making breakfast. He puts some toast in the toaster and plates the eggs and bacon. While they wait for the bread to toast, he makes a fresh pot of coffee and pulls out the cereal, some bowls and milk and sets them on the dining table. A few moments later, the toast pops out and Lincoln catches it right on to the plate. He catches LJ's bemused gaze and they share a laugh as Lincoln places the food before them on the table and they begin to eat.

Several moments later, Michael, Sara and Veronica join them in the dining room, all three still dressed in their pajamas. God mornings are muttered among the group and Veronica makes her way over to Lincoln to give him a good morning kiss.

Inhaling deeply she smiles. "Mmm, smells like Linc's cooked up a great meal for us again."

"Or burnt it and then replaced the smell with food at the store." Michael teases.

They all laugh. "I'm not a bad cook once you realize it bro."

"Come on Scofield, give your brother some credit!"

"Alright, I'll give him the credit of being a good cook. But you need to give me some credit as well." He and Sara share a smile and he plants a soft kiss on her lips.

"Come on and eat. You all have things to do," He motions for them to join him and LJ at the table and they take a seat. "For those of you who don't wish to eat a heart attack for breaky, there's the healthier alternative, Doc I know you'll appreciate that." He smiles at Sara who returns the smile and they dig in to the breakfast.

"Speaking of things, Vee?" Michael asks between mouthfuls of cereal.

"Yeah Michael?"

"I need you to do me a favor and look at Jake's file."

"I was already planning on that. Lincoln and I talked about it last night."

"So were Michael and I. That was before…" Sara notices LJ's head moving left to right. "Never mind."

They all sit at the table and finish eating all the food. LJ took the responsibility and washed the dishes while everyone else went to get dressed and ready for their day. Finishing up with the cleaning, LJ heads in to his room get dressed and ready for his day.

Veronica was the first to come out, followed by Sara and Michael. Michael had a black suit, white shirt, and a red tie on. Veronica came out in a brown suit and matching skirt with a pale blue blouse. Lincoln and LJ were both dressed casually in jeans and a polo top. Sara wore a white plaid blouse with pink pants. When Michael took a look at Sara, he was amazed. Sara stood right next to him and he leaned over. "You look beautiful, babe."

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself, Scofield." They both smile warmly at each other. They lock eyes a moment and he leans forward and plants a soft kiss on her lips, a light touch of skin on skin.

Lincoln looks at Veronica. "It's been forever since you wore that."

"Four months don't count as forever Linc."

"It's still makes you look great." Veronica smiles and Lincoln kisses her on the lips.

"What did I walk into?" LJ asks. They all pull off of each other. "I want a kiss too!" Everyone leans in towards LJ. "I was kidding!" Everyone pulls away and laughs.

"Are we set to go?"

"Yeah, let's go." They leave the apartment and pile in to Linc's car.

Jake had just arrived at the trailer, getting there late because of car traffic and people traffic. He steps inside the trailer and finds it dark inside. "Dad?" he calls in to the darkness.

A bat comes crashing down on Jake's head, effectively knocking him to the floor. He grunts but his dad keeps him down on the floor. "You're late again boy!" He roughly yanks at his hands, pinning them behind his back and clicks the cuffs around his wrists. Dragging him roughly through the trailer, he pushes him in to his room and another set of cuffs is produced, connecting the pre-existing ones to the bed, deeming him immobile.

"You said not to come home until it was dinner time!"

"Are you disrespecting me, boy?" Jake keeps quiet after that.

"You know the rules kid, and you know the punishment for breakin' the rules."

"No, dad, please no! Don't do it! Don't!!" Jurell walks out of the room.

Jakes back is facing the door and he hears his father stomping out the bedroom only to return a moment later. He feels the white hot heat of the metal before it makes contact with his back, the heat emanating of the rod as his father hovers it dangerously close to his skin.

"Please dad," he whimpers, barely above a whisper, "please don't do it". He hears a snicker from behind him and doesn't have to see his father's face to know a sickening grin is plastered across his lips.

"You whimpering little bastard, you think my father ever let the rules slide?" His father's voice is low and full of malice. He whispers so close to Jake's ear he can feel tiny flecks of spit on his skin. Without another word, he brings the iron crashing down on Jakes back, the sizzling of flesh drowned out only by the screaming if the young boy.

"Shut your mouth you little piece of shit." He yells at Jake over the screaming as retracts the iron and curls his mouth in to a wicked smile when the charred sign on his sons back comes in to his view. He watches it closely a moment longer and listens at the screams begin to dwindle, noticing his son's skin begin to pale and the boy begins to shake slightly beneath him.

Leaning forward and over his son's back, he pulls the tiny cuff keys out of his pocket and unlatches the boy. His hands drop limp to the floor and Jurell moves his head so that his mouth is by his son's ear. "You belong to the Kyubor now, boy," he whispers into Jake's ear, "Ain't no turning your back on them kid." He straightens himself up walks towards the door, pausing before he steps out of the room, not bothering to turn back to face his son. "And Jake, get the heck out of my trailer, I don't want to see your sissy face for the rest of the night."

Jakes does not move from his position on the floor. He had known the branding was coming but he didn't know it would be so soon. His father had just signed his life away and coupled with the blinding pain from his back wound, silent tears begin to fall down Jake's face.

He remains seated on the floor by his bed, his body continues to shake and the tears continue to fall. He brings his legs up and pushes himself slowly off the floor, holding on to the bed for support. He manages to pull himself up off the ground, supporting himself on the frame of his bed. Though he pulls himself up agonizingly slowly, his head begins to spin and he feels himself falling.

His eyes flicker open and he is shocked to find himself face down on the floor. He moans at the pain in his head and brings his hand up to the source of the pain. An electric shock of ache courses through his body at the slight movement in his arm and suddenly the fuzziness of his memory clears up and he recalls the torture his father had inflicted on him.

"You little wimp," he jumps at the sound of his father's voice above him, "I told you get the hell out of my trailer." He feels his father's hand on his shirt and he is roughly yanked off the ground. He can't help but wince at the pain and emit a slight _hiss_ at the violent act. He is dragged through the house, barely able to move his feet properly, and then thrown, literally thrown, out of the trailer, landing awkwardly on the hard ground.

"You know what happens next if you forget to follow the rules again!" He slams the trailer door behind him, causing it to shake slightly from the impact. He can hear his father cursing and crashing about within the thin walls. He takes a moment to prepare himself for the pain, and then slowly struggles up off the ground. He almost falls down again but manages to steady himself, then walks out to the shower blocks to clean the blood of his head and face. Several minutes later he emerges and walks out of the trailer park.

Jake heads to the store and buys a new black jacket to hide the brand mark on his back. The storeowner asks what happened but Jake tells him nothing and takes the jacket. He tosses his old one out and puts the new one on. He can finally walk normally, but he still feels pain on his back and on his head. As he walks, he passes by a display and looks at the bruise on his head. "Great, if I go back to them, they're going to get involved in my troubles." He sighs and walks aimlessly around the city.

Lincoln drops off Michael and Sara at the bank to talk about opening their new business. Afterwards, he drops off Veronica at her law firm which was only a few blocks away from the bank. Lincoln and LJ are the only two left in the car.

"So your school first?"

"Nope." LJ responds casually.

"What do you mean _nope_?" Lincoln asks baffled by his son's nonchalant response. "It's Friday, LJ, you have school Monday to _Friday_."

"I know, dad, but today is Teacher's Workday and we students get the day off. I just remembered that when we dropped off Uncle Mike and Sara."

"Oh, well ok then. So," Lincoln taps the driving wheel with his fingers, "What do you feel like doing then?"

He doesn't stop to think about the answer, knowing what he wanted to do immediately. "Let's go watch _Iron Man_, I hear it's awesome."

"Sure thing, bud, I had that in mind for this weekend but we don't have to tell Mike we already saw it." He winks at his son then maneuvers the car towards the theatre.

He parks the car at the side parking lot and they make their way around to the entrance. As they are approaching the booth, LJ sees someone slowly walking some feet ahead of them. As the person gets slightly closer, he realizes it's Jake.

"Hey dad, that's Jake over there." He tells his father, pointing at the figure. "Should I tell him to join us?"

"Sure thing LJ, go grab him and I'll wait in line."

LJ heads off in Jakes direction and calls out to him. When he hears his name, Jake freezes, not wanting to be seen injured, he goes to turn around and walk away but suddenly the world is spinning and he is falling in to oblivion once more. He stumbles on his feet and then crashes to the ground. In the distance he hears the shouts of his friend as he calls for his father to come help, then all goes black.

**Chapter 6: The Papers and the Phone Call**

Michael and Sara walk out of the bank, holding hands. They are both smiling about how well the whole thing went.

"Well it looks like Linc and I will be set as soon as we get the call."

"Now let's go look for buildings so we can find one that's just right for a clinic." Michael and Sara start looking around for buildings that are up for sale. After about five minutes of walking, they come across one that was too small, another in a bad location, and one that was way too big.

"I wonder if there's one close to Veronica's place."

"Maybe. But speaking of Veronica, we're almost at her law firm. Let's visit her and see if she came across anything about Jake." Together, they hold hands and walk towards Veronica's work.

"Hey, want to go somewhere after you get the letter of acceptance for your firm? Just the two of us?"

"Where would you want to go?"

"I don't know, Hawaii maybe?"

"Hawaii… those tickets are expensive. But if it's just the two of us, then sure. But on one condition."

"What condition?"

"You and I have to decide on a house. We can't stay in Veronica's house. I want us to have our own place. A place we can call home; where we can build a family and have everything that we talked about last night." He smiles at Sara.

"A family. I would absolutely love that Michael." She smiles warmly back, squeezing his hand gently in hers

"Hey, you stopped calling me Scofield."

"I figured that maybe I should stop calling you by your last name." They approach Veronica's work and walk inside. They go to the front desk and ask if they could see Veronica. The person at the front desk tells her that Michael and Sara are there and she tells them to head down the hallway and the last door on the right. They head over there and walk inside.

"Hey."

"Hey Veronica. So, how's that research on Jake coming?"

"There's not much. But what I did see was that he wasn't just sent to Juvenile Hall once, but rather several times in the past. But you'll never guess what the reasons those were for."

"What were they?" Sara asks as she takes a seat. Michael sits down on the chair next to her.

"Attempted robbery," she tells them, watching as their eyes widen slightly in shock. "But the thing is, the seven times he was caught prior to his hacking conviction, he was caught trying to steal _food_." She places emphasis on the last word and sees they are as shocked as she was when she first found out.

"Why would he do the same crime every single time?" Sara asks.

"That's what I would want to know. It also says his dad here works for an insurance company called Kyubor. He currently resides in a trailer park two miles away from here."

Michael stays quiet the entire time, trying to piece together the clues that Veronica tells him. "Why would he do the same crime several times and get caught for it? Wouldn't he be smart enough to figure out another way to sneak food out? And his dad resides in a trailer park two miles away. Jake said he lost the keys to the house." Those were the questions and thoughts that came to his mind. So far, he's found no way to connect the dots.

"Michael, are you listening?" Veronica snaps her fingers at him and then waves her hand.

"Yeah. I was just thinking, that's all."

"Well, all I have are these papers and no way to put them together."

"Maybe we can call Alex and ask him to help?" Sara suggests. "I mean he did manage to piece your plan together Michael. What difference does it make with this?"

"I would call Alex to help, but before we left him, he said he was going to make amends with his divorced wife to bring the family back together. I don't want to bother him for something we can figure out ourselves."

"Well, we can figure this out later when we get home. So, how did the meeting at the bank go?"

"Everything is great. Michael just has to wait for the letter. Also, we're looking for a nice spot to open a small clinic for me and a house so we don't have to stay in yours 'til death do us part." She winks at her and they share a quick smirk.

"Well there is a nice spot for a clinic that is only-" The phone rings, causing her to stop mid-sentence. Veronica picks it up. "Hello?"

"Veronica, it's me." Linc sounded stressed.

"What's going on? You sound stressed out."

"Jake has passed out near the theaters and there's a huge contusion on his head. I'm at the emergency center."

"Okay, we'll be there as soon as we can."

"Wait, who's "we"?"

"Michael and Sara are with me. We'll be there as soon as we can." Veronica hangs up the phone.

"What happened?" Sara asks.

"Jake passed out near the theaters and he has a really bad contusion on his head. We need to head to the hospital nearby." Veronica packs the papers in her suit case and all three of them rush out and get a cab.

**Chapter 7: Truth Unveiled**

At the Swedish Covenant Hospital, Lincoln and LJ wait outside for the doctor to allow them to see Jake. "Something has been happening at home and Jake didn't tell us."

"It must've been something that he probably doesn't want to get out but now it's starting to hurt him."

Michael, Sara, and Veronica run into the emergency center to find Lincoln and LJ sitting around, worried.

"What happened?" Michael asks.

"We don't know." The doors open and the doctor in a white coat, with a name tag clipped to the front identifying her as Dr Nikki Cordell, makes her way towards them. She's not very tall, barely reaching Lincoln's shoulders when she stands close to them. Her dark red hair is pulled back in a slick bun and oval shaped glasses hang around her neck. Her pale blue eyes are serious as she looks back at them.

"Is Jake alright?" LJ was the first one to approach her.

"He's going to be fine. We'd like to keep him overnight for observation but the worst of it is definitely over." An aura of relief ran right through LJ, Lincoln, Veronica, Michael, and Sara. "But there are a few conditions that need to be brought to your attention, considering how I'm assuming you all are taking care of him in his father's absence."

Everyone stays quiet and ready to listen to Doctor Nikki.

"When we treated Jake, we saw that not only was there a contusion on his head, but there were a large amount of bruises all over his body and his arm is sprained. Also, there was a branding that appears to be recent. We found some black cloth burned into his skin. The brand mark, however, reads KM. I need to know exactly what happened here." She stares back at the group patiently, waiting for someone to tell her how the poor boy came to have such intense injuries.

They stare back at her, blank expressions on their faces. Lincoln offers her the only truthful response he can give her. "We don't know."

Sara remembers what happened last night. "He came over last night because he was locked out of his home. He lost his keys. I remember that he was holding his arm when he knocked on our door. He told us that he tripped because it was raining last night."

"Well that's one way of hurting your arm. But all the damage done to him is really serious."

"Can we see him?" LJ asks.

"Sure. He's through those doors." She points at the doors she came through. "And the second door to your left in the hallway."

"Thank you for everything doc." Lincoln shakes her hands and everyone goes to visit Jake.

Jake is sitting up in the hospital bed, trying to remember everything that happened to him. Then he hears people laughing outside. It triggers the memory of his cruel father. He feels the brand mark on his back. Every single painful memory came back. His head and shoulders begin to hurt again. Just as he put his hand on his head, right on the contusion, the whole Burrows and Scofield family walks in.

"Jake, are you alright?" The first question comes out of LJ's mouth. Jake was starting to realize that there's only one way out of this. But he knows it isn't the best way out and figures he'll wait and gamble his chances.

"I'm fine. My body just hurts, that's all."

"Jake, I want you to tell us who did that to you." Lincoln says as he stands in front of the bed. Michael and Sara stand at one side of the bed, opposite to LJ. Veronica stands next to Lincoln.

"I… I can't. There's too much for all of you to be dabbling in my troubles. If I tell you, you'll be in trouble. All of you have been great to me these past few days, but this is just something I have to deal with."

"Look, if you don't tell us who's been hurting you these past few days, you don't know what could happen to you next. Just trust us." Jake takes Michael's words and considers everything that could happen to him. He remembers that his dad has been hurting him for awhile; quite frequently as he was growing up and if he's being honest with himself, for as long as he can remember. Every time, his dad beat him for just being a second late. But that still didn't overlook the fact that he doesn't want to hurt the family that he wishes he was born in.

"Trust me. If you take me away, you're putting yourselves in danger. I don't want them to touch you." He just thought about what he said. He realizes he just hinted the word "them".

"Who's "them?" Veronica asks. "Is it anyway in relation to the mark on your back?"

"No one." He tells them quickly, trying to cover his little slip up. Jake feels the brand on his back again as it starts to bother him.

"May I?" Sara goes behind and looks at the brand mark. It was right there in bold letters, "KM". "Does this mean anything?"

"… Am I able to leave later this afternoon? I need to get home. I found my keys." Jake tries to avoid all confrontation about his problems.

"The doctor said you had to stay overnight for observation." LJ's words feel like a blessing and a curse at the same time. He's so happy to be spending a night away from his father, but knows it's dangerous for him to be here. If his father were to find out he were here, he'd automatically think he told them about the beatings, and the one waiting for him at home would be a thousand times worse than the one that put him here in the first place. LJ's vice brings him out of his stupor "Jake, you need to tell us everything we need to know about you, man. There's one thing that's important to my dad and my uncle, and that's family. You're family and we want to help you."

"If only it were true…" He mutters to himself. LJ was the only one who heard it as everyone else was trying to figure out who was hurting Jake.

"Jake, you're like a brother to me. I don't want to see you get hurt." LJ whispers to Jake.

"Thanks, but this is just something I gotta deal with." He whispers back.

The nurse walks inside. "Jake, it's your father. He said he's home now." Jake dreads those very words that came out of her mouth. They send a chill up his spine and he knows there's no escaping his father tonight. "I told him we wanted to keep you here overnight but he said he wanted to take care of you at home. Since your wounds aren't life threatening, we could only suggest you stay the night but your father was adamant about having you at home with him."

"Thanks." He utters and she smiles warmly back before retreating and leaving the room.

LJ's tries once more to get Jake to talk about his injuries but he doesn't budge, keeping tight-lipped about everything. He gets up off the bed, wincing a little in pain as he grabs his bag.

"Thanks for coming guys. But I think I'll just go back home." He offers them a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"I'll drive you there." Lincoln offers.

"No, it's fine. I can walk from here."

"Jake, you don't have to lie to us. We know where you live." Veronica says.

"…Alright then." Jake was afraid of letting them know about his dad. Everyone gets in the car and leaves the emergency room. They stop at the trailer park and Jake gets out. "Thanks." He closes the door behind him to tread right back into the lion's den. His father is going to kill him for going to the hospital. Lincoln drives off and heads back to Veronica's house.

In the car, everyone is still talking about Jake. Only LJ remains silent the entire time. He never felt like this before. He loved his dad a lot as well as his uncle, Veronica, and Sara. But he also feels like Jake is a part of the family as well. He stares out the window as they drive, deep in thought. Then he remembers what happened when he invited him over to his house last night. He rushed him past the trailer park. He thinks that someone in there is the one hurting him, but he has no evidence at all. They stop in front of Veronica's house, get out, and walk inside.

"I wonder who could possibly be hurting Jake." Veronica wonders. She puts the papers on the table. "All I have is who his father is, what he does, and the amount of times Jake was sent to Juvenile Hall. Also their insurance."

"Wait, Veronica, did Jake's father ever visit him in Juvenile Hall?"

Veronica takes a look at all the papers about Jake's time in Juvie. "No, not a single time."

"That's weird. What kind of father doesn't as least visit his son once in Juvenile Hall?" Lincoln spits out in disgust remembering how hungry Jake was when he came over last night. "What if Jake was hungry all those times because his father didn't feed him?"

"That's inhumane Lincoln." Sara said. "But it's possible. I mean he was very hungry last night."

"Also, these papers say that he was caught for stealing food out of a number of stores." Veronica holds the paper in her hand. "He must've been hungry and in Juvie, they actually feed you some food."

"So," Michael begins, suddenly realizing something he hopes is only a theory, "what if Jake was so unbelievably hungry his only option of satiating that hunger would be to either steal some food and get away with it, or purposely let himself get caught in the act." His presumption has them all thinking that maybe this was more than a "what if."

"Hey, where's LJ?" Lincoln asks, suddenly realizing his son is nowhere to be seen.

LJ took one of his bikes that he left in Veronica's house from the past four months and decided to visit Jake. It was already getting late at night. "Jake, your dad is trying to kill you." He thought to himself. "I'm not going to let him."

Jake is in the trailer, tied to the same pole where he received his branding, waiting for his dad to punish him. He knows what the last punishment is. His father walks in. "You did the worst possible thing ever and that was to get yourself sent to the hospital you little wimp! You now know what I have to do right?"

Jake closes his eyes. "Yes." He avoids looking into his father's eyes.

LJ gets to the trailer park and leaves his bike outside. He looks inside each of the trailers through their windows to see which one Jake is in. So far, he went through about ten trailers until he saw one at the far end of the park, completely isolated from the rest. He takes a look at that one and sees Jake inside. He was tied to a pole. His dad had a huge knife. "Oh my god." LJ thought to himself. His dad slashes Jake in the back and he starts bleeding. His dad unties him and pulls him out. LJ just witnessed the harshness of Jake's dad and realizes that he's the one who did everything to Jake. He hides on the other end of the trailer and his dad throws Jake out. Jake tries to get up but then gives up until LJ appears.

"LJ…" he said.

"I'm going to get you out of here." He helps Jake get up. As they start walking away, it starts to pour on them.

"You shouldn't have seen that." Blood continuously starts to drip down his back.

"God is there anything you have to stop the wound from bleeding?"

"LJ, why are you here? You should be at home with your family."

"I know and you should be with us to. You're a part of my family already man. Look, I realized that you were lying about your dad being away. I witnessed everything. You're not safe with him. I'm letting my dad know."

"No don't. It's… not wise…" LJ continues to help Jake walk.

"What's not wise is you leaving the hospital and heading back to your dad. I gotta get you back there and I don't have my phone. Just try to hang on until we get there." As LJ and Jake walk on the sidewalk, Lincoln drives up behind them. "Dad?"

"LJ! What the hell were you thinking? Leaving us back at the house without your cell phone and not letting us know where you were heading!"

"Dad, not now! Look!" LJ shows Lincoln the wound on Jake's back.

"Who did this to him?!"

LJ looks at Jake. "It was-"

"My dad." Jake interrupted.

"What? Never mind, give me the details later. We need to get you to the hospital." Lincoln puts Jake in the back and LJ sits in the passenger seat. "Call your uncle, Sara, and Veronica and tell them to meet us at the hospital." Lincoln drives off to the hospital as fast as he can. Jake lies in the back seat, wincing in pain at what was dealt to him, but he can't help but feel relieved that there are people who do care for him. But he feared about what was to become of him and everyone else around him. But what he also felt was the warmth in his heart from a family and a friend who are willing to go to lengths to help him out. He smiles and then passes out in the car.

**Chapter 8: The Truth Sets Him Free**

Everyone stayed overnight at the hospital to wait for Jake to recover from surgery on his back. His dad had cut him pretty badly and they had put stitches all over his back. . They brought him get well cards, chocolates, balloons and flowers. Jake wakes up at nine in the morning, only to feel pain in his back, but nothing else. Everyone was sleeping in the chairs inside his room. Michael was sleeping in a weird position and Lincoln's face was close to his as well. LJ wakes up but doesn't make a noise because Jake tells him not to.

"Hey, push Michael and Lincoln's heads together." He whispers to LJ. LJ snickers at the chance he has and does what Jake tells him to. Veronica and Sara woke up to find LJ sneaking up to them and they realize what LJ was about to do. They both were smiling, trying to hold back any laughter from bursting out. LJ pushes Michael and Lincoln's heads together and their lips were practically close to each other. He creeps back to Jake's side. Veronica and Sara take out their phones, waiting for the right moment to take the pictures.

"I can't believe I just did that."

"Well, at least you'll get a laugh out of it. I did that to two guys last time at football camp a year ago. They chased me all over the place, trying to kill me. Everyone had pictures too. They never let them forget it."

"Jake, if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." They both smiled. Everyone was waiting for Michael and Lincoln to accidentally kiss, but they weren't waking up.

"Veronica, Sara, tempt them to kiss so they wake up, thinking that it's the two of you." LJ suggested.

They both chuckle. "Okay." Veronica walks up to Lincoln and Sara walks up to Michael. They kiss as close as they can to their mouths. Lincoln and Michael wake up but don't open their eyes.

"You missed." Michael said. He and Lincoln kiss and then when they opened their eyes, they jumped away from each other and screamed. They wipe their lips and try to wash their mouths. Sara, Veronica, Jake, and LJ were laughing hysterically at them. Michael and Lincoln didn't find it funny.

"Man you two are so easy to prank." Jake sits in his bed laughing. LJ was practically dying of laughter.

Sara and Veronica had pictures. "We're never going to let you forget this!" The two of them laugh extremely hard.

"Who set us up?" Michael asks.

"It was my idea."

"But I put your heads close enough so that you would kiss accidentally." The laughter starts to die down.

"LJ, you're grounded for a week, and Jake, when I get full custody of you, you're grounded as well."

"Aw man." LJ groans. "I had something planned next week." He looks at Jake and gives him a mean look, one with "I hate you for getting me into trouble" look.

"Hey, you listened to my instructions. And at least this will be the first time I'm grounded and not being injured for the first time for doing a stunt like that." He smiles at LJ.

Sara and Veronica look at the pictures and giggle. They look up to see Michael and Lincoln staring at them. Their faces turn straight and they put the phones away.

Looking away from the women, Lincoln turns his attention to Jake, who's lying silently on the hospital bed, smiling at them despite his injuries. "I think you need to start talking, Jake."

The smile fades from Jakes face and he somberly nods his head at Lincoln as he begins to tell them everything that had happened to him over the past few days as well as his full past with him being sent to Juvie. Lincoln and Veronica hoped that with the amount of evidence, along with Jake's and LJ's testimony that he would get full custody of Jake. Michael and Sara had hoped that as well. It nearly killed Michael that Jake almost died.

"So Veronica, when can you get the date for the court for Jake's custody?" Lincoln asks her once Jake has finished talking.

"I'm not sure but within the next couple of weeks if I can pull some strings. We're going to need to plan this well if we're going to give Lincoln full custody of Jake however given the circumstances surrounding Jake and his home life right now, I'd say anyone with half a brain would want him out of there quick smart. First thing we need to do is get on to DOCS and let them know about this. Then we file a police report against your father." She sees the fear in his eyes about having to take the matter to the police and is quick to reassure him. "I know you're scared about all this, Jake, but trust us to take care of you," she squeezes his hand lightly, hoping to bring him some comfort, "your father and you won't cross paths at all and he won't know you're with us. You'll be safe."

"Jake, you're going to school and home with LJ. There's no way you're going back to that trailer with your dad." Lincoln said.

"No offense, but I'm not going to consider him my father. But I want to let you know something about the branding he gave me."

The room falls silent as everyone gives Jake their full attention.

"It stands for the Kyubor Mafia. I was supposed to get the branding when I turned 18, but I was planning to escape as soon as I finished high school. This brand on my back means that I'm their property."

Michael, Sara, and Veronica remember the name "Kyubor" from the research they'd done on Jake's father earlier.

"So this is in relation to the Kyubor Insurance Company?" Michael asks.

"It's not even a good insurance company. It was a way to hide from the government. They were a mafia before I even was born. They killed my mother after she found. She'd written it in her journal and my father found it and ran to his cronies and they decided to "take care of her" I guess. I was only two when she died, so I don't remember her much and we have no photos of her in the house. I found her journal, though, which I thought was odd, and my father had caught me reading it, so he burned it and punished me harshly.

"I've grown up in a harsh environment, without a loving mother. I've also been branded with their mark, so that makes me their property. So whatever happens, they're going to try and take me back. The reason I didn't tell you all about this was because I didn't want to ruin what was given to you. Lincoln, you and your brother have just been fully exonerated as well as Sara. You've also recovered the love of your life, Veronica. Not to mention everything you've all been through. You just have been given the chance to relax and get your lives back on course. I didn't want to ruin that at all."

They were all touched by his words. Lincoln was happy at most along with Michael. He knows that Jake was pretty mature for his age and that he is very concerned about how others feel. Jake reminded Lincoln of Michael and how he always has to be very involved with others.

"But, as the past few days went by, the more relevant it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, I found people who actually cared about me. And the more I kept thinking about it, the more I felt like I wanted to be a part of that. It really has occurred to me that I want to be a part of this family, this loving, caring family more than anything that I have ever wanted in my life. It's like what LJ has said before, family means everything."

Everyone was happy to finally have some news on Jake and his family life as they were now more equipped to help get Lincoln full custody of Jake and away from the monster he unfortunately had as a father.

"Whatever it takes Jake, I will make sure that I get full custody of you. You have shown me, no, you have shown us that you want to be a part of our family." Lincoln hugs Jake.

"Already acting like a true Burrows." LJ smiles and gives Jake a hug. Jake was already about to cry, not out of sadness, but out of true happiness.

"If you ever need a doctor, you know who to call." Sara reassured Jake. She hugs him.

"You already have a lawyer, in case you run into trouble. Just don't get yourself into a lot of trouble like what Lincoln and Michael did." Veronica hugs Jake.

"You're a smart and bright kid for your age. You and LJ make the perfect brothers. And I'm pretty sure Linc agrees with me. You two are exactly like us." Michael hugs Jake. After that, Jake burst into tears of happiness.

"I've never felt this happy in my life." Jake sniffs. He takes a moment to get his emotions under control. "Please get me in your custody dad." Lincoln's heart was warmed up from that word "dad". He loves to hear it out of LJ's mouth and now he hears it from his soon to be son, Jake.

Jake's doctor, Nikki, walks in to the room with a concerned expression on her face. "We heard a lot of noise from outside and we were wondering if everything is alright?"

Jake and LJ look at Lincoln and Michael and smile. "Want pict-"Lincoln puts his hands over Jake's mouth. She couldn't hear anything except a muffled noise.

"We got good pict-"Michael puts his hands over LJ's mouth. She also couldn't hear anything except a muffled noise. Veronica and Sara both walk up to Nikki and show her the pictures of Michael and Lincoln on their phones. She starts laughing hysterically.

"Oh my god!" She continues laughing hard. Every nurse and doctor starts to wonder what's with all the laughter so they enter Jake's room. They look at the cell phones and watch the pictures and they start to laugh hard as they look at Michael and Lincoln. They blush out of embarrassment of the laughter. It was hard to not join in with the laughter so Veronica, Sara, LJ, and Jake start laughing as well.

"You two are so grounded when we get home." Lincoln whispers to Jake and LJ. They drop their heads down in shame. As the laughter starts to die down, they all disperse and head back to their jobs. Nikki waits in the room, checking out Jake's back and changing the dressing on his wound before she relates to them his progress.

"Well," she says, stepping back from the bed, "the wound appears to be healing rather nicely and I'd say Jake's free to go home today. I've changed the dressing, which needs to be done each and every day to keep it from infection." She smiles at the group before her face turns serious. She still has a small matter that needs addressing before she can let him go home.

"I need to know how he got a gashing wound on his back?" she looks from one pair of eyes to the other. "He was brought here yesterday with extensive injuries covering his body. This is no coincidence and I have to know what's going on here. I'm suspecting foul play from somewhere and there's no possibility of Jake being released until I get answers."

She doesn't wait long before Jake takes it upon himself to tell her the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about his current state. He tells her about his father, his unfortunate real father's mistreatment of him and how his injuries were inflicted on him and why. He hears her gasp audibly as he speaks and he sees the sadness in her eyes.

"I need to go to DOCS and to the police with this." She tells them, a hint of anger in her voice.

"I've got that covered." Veronica tells her, taking her cell phone and stepping out in to the hall to make the call.

"Can he be released now, Doc?" Lincoln asks, wanting nothing more than to take Jake home and erase all the terror and pain his father had caused him.

"Once he's given his statement to the police and DOCS have assessed the situation, he'll be good to go."

"How long will that be?"

"Actually, they'll be here in about twenty minutes." Veronica tells them, stepping back in to the room and coming to stand beside Lincoln.

"Ok, but you do know I won't be able to release him in _your_ custody until DOCS have given me the all clear since you're neither related to him nor a legal foster parent, are you?" He shakes his head in answer and she nods hers, smiling before retreating from the room to follow up on the rest of her patients.

"What if they won't let me go home with you?" Jake asks; the sadness in his voice heart-breaking.

"Don't worry about that, kiddo, there's no way you're going back to that ogre at the trailer park." Lincoln smirks, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah he's more ogre than Shrek!" LJ laughs and Jake can't help but join them, agreeing with all they've said.

"You know he'll have one of his guys find out where I am; he won't leave this alone, especially once the police get involved." His mouth turns down into a frown as he realizes how hard it's going to be to get away from his father and the Kyubor Mafia.

"They're dealing with Linc the Sink," Michael pipes up, winking at his brother as he refers to his old prison name. "I say good luck to them; they've got no idea what they're in for!"

They talk for a while about everything and anything until the authorities arrive. Two men of about the same height and build, one with jet black hair, the other a lighter brown, stand just outside in the door. Beside them another man walks, taller than both, wearing the funkiest clothes he'd expect to see a teenager wearing. His green eyes are on Jake's instantly and he guesses he's the DOCS representative. His demeanor carries with it a certain aura and Jake, nervous as he is about the meeting, immediately likes him.

With the police and Dr Nikki in tow, he makes his way in to the room and introduces himself to the small group, smiling widely at them. "Hi, I'm Michael Jackson and it doesn't matter if you're black or white I'm here to help you." LJ bursts in to a fit of laughter at the man's attempt to relax the mood in the room. He stops suddenly when he realizes everyone is watching him with strange expressions on their faces. "I'm glad someone found that lame joke funny." The DOCS guy winks at him then continues. "Actually, my real name is Simon Tulley, I'm a case worker with DOCS, as you've probably already guessed."

"Hey man," Lincoln extends his hand and Simon takes it, shaking it as Lincoln introduces himself and his family, pointing out each member as he goes. "I'm Lincoln Burrows," he notices the Simon's eyes widen a little but he says nothing, "This is my brother, Michael Scofield, the love of his life, Sara, sorry _Dr_ Sara Tancredi, this here is the love of _my_ life, Veronica Donovan, and the buffoon who laughed at your joke earlier would be my son, LJ."

Simon smiles as they each mumble a quick, "hi, nice to meet you" when they're introduced, laughing at his referral to LJ as a buffoon.

"Well it's definitely nice to meet you all. This here is Senior Constable Eric Flannery," he points to the dark haired policeman who nods his head at them, his expression friendly but harder than the one Simon is wearing, "and Constable Jamie Bryant." He too wears the same expression as his partner as they stand with their hats in their hands, waiting for Simon to take the report.

"Ok, Jake, Dr Cordell has already explained to us that you were admitted here yesterday with extensive injuries covering your body but you were released only to be returned that same night. Now, what I need from you is to tell us everything that's happened to you at the hands of your father. Not just the recent stuff, as far back as you can remember please." His tone is professional not in the least unfriendly. "It's extremely important we know as much of your situation as possible." His voice is kind as he speaks, inviting Jake to tell him everything about his life with his father. He has no trouble opening up to the man; he almost can't help but want to spill the beans on everything.

He tells them everything he can remember from the first time he was beat severely right up until his beating from the night before. It feels good finally being able to get everything off his chest and though he knows it's dangerous to be talking, he also knows it's his only hope of surviving and that Lincoln and his family will do anything to protect him, just like they'd promised. He trusts them with his whole heart and so he talks and lets it out, feeling the pressure lift from his shoulders immediately.

Simon and the police officers take notes as they listen to the horrible fate the poor boy was dealt. It sickens them, no matter how many times they'd heard it in the past, child abuse was something they could never and would never understand.

"Thank you for telling us everything, Jake." Simon smiles down at him and Jake smiles back, relief sweeping over him when he knows he should feel worried slightly.

"It's ok; I just want him out of my life and in prison where he belongs." He's silent a moment then remembers what Nikki had said about not being able to go home with Lincoln and worry creeps in on him. "Simon, I want to go home with Lincoln and his family, they're my family now. They've been better to me than anyone my whole life and he's more of a dad to me than Jurell ever was and ever could be. Please, I want to go home with my family." His begging eyes are glazed with tears as he contemplates having to go to some random strangers' house to live.

"We just need to ask him a few things first. I can see how much you love them, Jake." His reassuring smile calms him only a little as Lincoln steps out of the room with the three other men. He returns ten minutes later with a huge smile plastered across his face.

"You're coming home tonight, kiddo." He beams at Jake and bends down to hug him. They each take turns in hugging Jake, careful not to aggravate his wound. "It's only temporary they said, but I'll get custody of you before long so let's not think of it as a temporary arrangement. They'll be keeping in touch, letting us know what happens. They've gone to the trailer park to arrest Jurell now." He expects himself to feel some remorse for what's about to happen but he feels nothing but relief and happiness.

"He should have been locked up a long time ago." He tells them. A few minutes later, Nikki walks in with the discharge papers in hand.

"If you just fill these out, you can take Jake home." She tells Lincoln. As he fills out the forms, LJ grabs Jake's belongings and helps him out of the bed. Handing him his clothes, he guides Jake to the small bathroom so that he can get changed.

"Shout out if you need anything little bro." They share a smile then Jake heads in to the bathroom and closes the door while LJ waits for him outside.

Twenty minutes later, they're heading out of the hospital and going home. He can't wipe the grin off his face as he thinks how lucky he is to have found such a loving family who willingly took him in, adopted him as though he were born right in to their clan.

**Chapter 8 Extra: Father and Sons Bonding**

When they arrive back at the apartment, they set about getting Jake settled in. Bar a few items in his backpack, his belongings are still in the trailer and they decide to wait until they hear from the police about his father's arrest before they go there to retrieve them. He sets his bag in LJ's room and they agree that, for the time being, he would sleep on the sofa bed in the lounge.

Sara takes him aside and checks his back and the other injuries his father inflicted on him. She works with a frown on her face, slightly shaking her head at the thought that anyone could be so cruel to want to cause such pain to a child. It isn't the first time in her career she comes across such child abuse cases, but it doesn't make it any easier to bear witness to the wounds.

It takes her only a few minutes to check him over and when she's done, she wraps her arms around him and engulfs him in a hug, careful not to make contact with his wounds. The hug takes him a little by surprise but he welcomes her caring arms, hugging her back just as warmly.

"I'm so glad you trusted us enough to let us help you, Jake." She tells him, pulling out of the hug to look him in the eyes, a smile lighting her face. "Welcome to the family."

"Thanks, Sara," he smiles, his voice choked with emotion. "You guys are more family to me than my own father." She gives his hand a slight squeeze before they head back to join the others in the lounge room.

"Hey Sara, I just got a call from the realtor." Michael tells her, walking towards her as Jake takes a seat beside LJ to watch TV with him. "He says he's got a place not far from here and he wants us to see it. Says it just got on the market and thinks it's perfect for us." His eyes are lit with what Sara can only describe as happiness.

"That's great, Michael." Sara says, with palpable excitement in her voice. "What time did he want us to meet him?"

"Actually, he said as soon as we can. He wants us to see it before any other clients do so what do you say we head off?"

"Yeah, sure, let me just grab my bag and we'll go." Grabbing her bag from the kitchen table, she walks to where Michael is at the door. After saying their goodbye's to the rest of the family, they head off to see the house, excited about its potential.

"I should go, too." Veronica tells them, getting up from the sofa she was sharing with Lincoln and pulling her bag on to her shoulder. "If we want a court date within the next couple of weeks, I've got to get to working on the case and gathering the information we've got."

"How long do you think you'll be?" Lincoln asks, pulling her in to him and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Oh, come on guys, there are children in the room." LJ clicks his tongue and shakes his head at them "Have you no shame?" He mockingly chides them.

"Yeah, don't you think one traumatizing experience a day is enough?" Jake adds, grinning cheekily at LJ.

"Oh you guys are such babies." Lincoln calls back, looking down at his wrist as though checking the time on the watch that's not there. "Oh, look, it's three-thirty! Gear up boys, the Teletubbies are on. I'll go heat your bottles and get your blankies." Veronica's laughter is cut off by Lincoln's lips capturing hers in a soft kiss again. "Don't be late, babe." He tells her, retracting his arms from around her waist and setting her free.

"I'll be home before seven hopefully with some idea about the trial." She turns and heads out of the lounge, calling out her goodbye's to the boys on the couch.

Lincoln heads in to the kitchen and throws together a few sandwiches, grabbing three cans of soda from the fridge. Placing the food and drinks on a tray, he takes it in to the lounge and sets it down on the coffee table. They flick through the channels, deciding on a re-run of 'Friends' as they eat.

"Who's up for a movie?" Lincoln asks when they've finished eating and the credits are rolling. "

"'Ironman'? LJ asks, remembering they were on their way to watch it when they found Jake yesterday.

"Sounds good to me." Jake agrees and Lincoln nods his agreement.

"Right, I'll just clear the dishes and we'll head out." Five minutes later they're making their way down the apartment building to the car.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright walking?" Lincoln asks, remembering Jake's injured back as the boy slowly walks beside him.

"Yeah, it's fine. I just need to well get used to moving around with these painful stitches in my back." He moves along slowly, his hands on his back slightly rubbing at the stitches.

"You walk like an old man." LJ comments.

"Shut up." He tells him, annoyed that what he said was true.

Lincoln and LJ both laugh. "Come on, let me carry you again."

"No, don't. It makes me look childish in front of everyone."

"Who are you trying to prove to that you're mature?" LJ asks.

"The whole community." Jake continues to walk forward but he has to stop and relax.

"Forget this." Lincoln thinks to himself. He slows down so that he comes to stand behind Jake and lifts him up, cradling him in his arms like he would a baby.

"Let me go!" He tries to struggle.

"If you keep struggling, you'll even look more childish than usual."

"…Fine." Jake puts his hood up to avoid showing his face. LJ chuckles at the sight of it.

Lincoln takes Jake into the car and sits him in the back. LJ takes the front seat and they drive towards the movie theatre. LJ and Lincoln reminiscence about the past and laugh about what they did and what they should've done, while Jake keeps to himself, thinking silently in the backseat. As they drive, they pass by the trailer park. Jake stares at it, turning in his seat to watch it fade in to nothing but a dot in the distance. "We have no idea what we're in for after that court hearing." Jake thinks to himself.

"Do you both have school on Monday?" Lincoln asks, bringing him out of his reverie

"Yeah, we should." LJ tells him uncertainly.

"Yeah, we do." Jake's response is much more certain than LJ's and Lincoln nods back at him in the rear view mirror as he drives into the theater parking lot and parks the car. LJ gets out of the car and Lincoln decides to pick up Jake again.

"This really does not feel right." Jake tells him, grabbing hold of Lincoln's neck as he picks him up. "Maybe we should've grabbed some crutches from the hospital. You think we can swing by later and ask Dr. Nikki for a pair on the way back? It'll help me get around school better I suppose." Jake brings his hood over his head to hide himself again, burying his face in the crook of Lincoln's neck for further cover.

"Yeah, that's fine. And don't think so much about me carrying you." Lincoln tells him, kicking the door shut and making his way towards the theatre entrance. "Besides, you're extremely light for your age."

"Can you blame me for being light?"

"Nope, not really. We can blame your father for that." They all head for the booth and buy the tickets for the movie. They walk inside the building and head over to the young teen, giving him their tickets to clear them for entry. He tells them their movie will be playing in theatre eight and hands them back their tickets

Jake was in awe as he looked around. "So this is what a theater looks like…"

"Well at least this one." LJ tells him, snapping his head to Jake as though suddenly realizing what he had just said. "Wait, you've _never_ seen a movie before?" His eyes are wide with shock that's present in his voice.

"No. I never had the time to go to the theater or watch a movie. It was just working as a slave for my… for him. It did make me kind of lonely when all the new kids were watching the new flicks and I was always in the dark about what they were discussing. I could've downloaded the movies online but then the only access to a computer I had were public ones."

Lincoln is saddened by the amount of youthful experiences Jake has been forced to miss because of his wretched father. He makes a silent promise to himself as they head to the food counter that Jake _will_ be in his custody and when that happens, he'll make sure the boy doesn't miss out on any more experiences he should have enjoyed through his childhood.

They make their way to the counter and check the menu boards to see what's on offer. "So what would you both like to eat?" Lincoln asks, gently placing Jake on the floor beside him but keeping an arm on his shoulder for support

"Popcorn and a soda would be good for me. Nothing more than that because I want to leave some space for dinner."

Jake's eyes were roaming over the menu boards, internally debating what he felt like. He didn't want to ask for too much and in the end decided on a hot dog and a soda.

"Jake?"

"Sorry I was just thinking and I'll just get a hot dog with a soda."

"Hi, how can I help you?" The young girl behind the counter smiles at them.

Lincoln slowly makes his way to the register, guiding Jake beside him. "Yes, I'll have two large popcorns, three sodas, and a hot dog please." As she makes herself busy getting their food, Jake looks around and realizes people are not so much staring as they are unashamedly gawking at Lincoln and LJ.

"This is starting to get really awkward. Everyone's staring at both you and dad." He whispers to and oblivious looking LJ.

"Did you just call my dad 'dad'?"

"Yes, and look around." LJ takes a look around and notices people staring at them. "I still think that you two are a flight risk to be in public."

"This is really getting annoying too. Now I know how actors and actresses feel when they walk out into public. This is like having the paparazzi on your ass."

"I have an idea." Jake tells them as their order is set on the counter in front of them. Lincoln pays the cashier and gives his and LJ's order to LJ to hold, and hands Jake his food.

"Thank you kind sir. I really appreciate that you're letting me watch a movie with you and you're giving me food for the theater, especially since I can't walk." Jake stares at him and lets him know to look around.

"What are you doing?" Lincoln whispers.

"Just go along with it. People are staring and they think you both still belong in prison. Now lift me up and carry me into the theater."

Lincoln carries Jake. "It's no problem kid." Everyone around them sees that they're really not bad people but they don't take their eyes of the ex con, enthralled by the scene playing out before them.

"Well that takes care of that." Lincoln laughs, shaking his head at the genius move. "You're a real actor, you know that?"

"You should've seen what I did to get out of getting detention and getting suspended last month. It was a little bit more dramatic than what this was. I nearly made the principal cry as well as my history teacher."

"It was really dramatic?" LJ asks as he eats some of his popcorn.

"Most of the stuff that came out of my mouth was total bull. Everyone around me started to shake their heads and laugh since we were in the classroom when it happened. They all knew I was BS'ing my way through the whole scene." They walk into theater Eight and stop to look at the available seats.

"Wow… so many seats." LJ exclaims, looking around the near empty theatre. "Where do we sit?"

"How about the top row because I don't feel like looking up at the screen and getting a sore neck from it?" Lincoln suggested.

"Fine with me. How about you Jake?"

"I'm up for it." They walk up to the top floor and sit in the seats. LJ and Lincoln start to chew down their popcorn. "The movie hasn't even started. Shouldn't you save your popcorn?"

"No." Lincoln and LJ both reply.

Jake chuckles and shakes his head. "Well looks like the movie's starting so I guess it doesn't matter now." The previews pass by after 15 minutes and Ironman starts. They could hear some girls chuckling beside them about how hot Robert Downey Jr. was as Tony Starks.

Jake started eating his hot dog and he absolutely loved watching the movie, but he loved it more that he had a family to watch it with. After the movie had ended, they were all talking about it. Jake caught the end of the girls' conversation about Robert Downey Jr and laughed as they practically drooled in their empty drink cups about him. They drove back home to Veronica's house but not before stopping at the hospital to pick up a pair of crutches.

As Lincoln made his way back home, Michael and Sara left the café they had gone to for coffee and begun walking the few blocks back to Veronica's house. "I didn't much like the second house, and that third one was too small to be a doll's house." Michael tells her, his mind stuck on the first house they had been called out to see. "The first one's perfect for us, Sara. It's really close to Veronica's and that way we can be near to them in case anything bad happens. It wouldn't hurt either way."

"I thought that too, Michael." She tells him, sliding her hand through his as they continue to walk down the street. "It's the perfect size for everything and close enough to everyone so that if we ever have kids, they'll be able to visit their uncle and cousins." As they continue walking back to Veronica's apartment, a familiar face passes by Michael.


	7. Chapter 9 through 12

**Chapter 9: Back to the Normal Life?**

"So Jurell, it appears like your son finally snitched." The man talks to Jurell behind the glass in the jail Jurell was held in.

"That son of a bitch kept coming late for the past few days Lionel. I have no idea what he's doing."

"You do know what we have to do, do you? There's already been a hearing set for you, three weeks from now. Jake will testify against you, and if he does, there's a chance he'll reveal our schemes."

"Just do it. The sooner, the better."

*---*

It was early morning Sunday. Jake had slept on the sofa bed that night. He dreamt of nothing but pure happiness of what was happening. He absolutely loved being with the Burrows and Scofield family. Waking up early in the morning, he woke up smelling something cooking. He groans and tries to get up, feeling a slight pain in his back.

"Good morning Jake." Lincoln's tone of voice was slightly happier as if he loved waking up in the morning, whereas others would groan at the brightness of the morning sun.

"Morning." Jake rubs his eyes. "What are you cooking?"

"Blueberry pancakes." Lincoln flips the pancake in the pan with a spatula.

"That smells good."

"It should be since I made these a few days ago for everyone."

"It's his specialty." LJ walks into the lounge room and sits on the sofa bed. "Dad cooked them for me every weekend for as long as I can remember. Always loved them."

"Well I guess it's something I look forward to tasting now." Jake smiles. He hints LJ to help him get his crutches and LJ fetches them for him. Jake slides off the bed and puts his arms under the crutches. He walks over to the breakfast table and sits down.

"So we can head over to your place and take all your belongings since the police called last night and said that your father was arrested and jailed. I'm pretty sure it's safe now." Lincoln takes the pancake out of the pan and stacks it on the rest of the pancakes.

"There's not much. I can pretty much fit it all into my bag."

"So that's pretty much it then?" LJ asks. "I mean that's all we have planned for today?"

Michael, Sara, and Veronica all wake up and walk into the dining room after smelling the blueberry pancakes Lincoln was preparing.

"Mmm… Pancakes again?" Veronica asks. Everyone else sits at the table as Lincoln brings the food.

"And if you don't want pancakes, we have cereal in the cupboard as well as the occasional oatmeal."

"All of it sounds good…" Jake grabs a pancake and pours maple syrup on it. He chows it down so unbelievably fast that everyone was just staring again. "What?" Jake still had pancake in his mouth.

LJ laughed and soon after, everyone else joined in. "Man, you really have missed the good life. At least you'll have a breakfast favorite now."

"I do have a breakfast favorite now!" Jake finishes off his pancake. "That was delicious."

"Well there's a lot so if you're still hungry you can…" Michael trails off as everyone grabs a pancake while Jake grabs another. There was just one left on the table. "Well, there was a lot."

"Here, you can take half of my pancake Michael." Sara offers.

"Why thank you Sara!" The two of them cut the pancake in half together and put the halves on their plate. Everyone else finishes their pancake and stares at the last one. Next thing they're doing is staring at each other, all getting an evil grin.

"Well I'm not grabbing another pancake. I already ate two." Jake said, putting his fork and knife down.

"I think Sara and I deserve it since we split our pancake." Michael started to hint signs of complaint.

"No one said you had to share the pancake Mikey." Lincoln defended as he licked his lips.

"Well it looks like we have a war for the pancake gentlemen!" Veronica started.

"We have team Burrows vs. team Scofield. Who will win the war for the pancake?" Jake put the spoon in front of his mouth and acted like an announcer with a deep voice.

"I'm out." LJ said. He joins Jake on the other end of the table and put a spoon in front of his mouth. "I don't know Jake." He also imitates a deep voiced announcer. "We shall see. Will it be Lincoln and Veronica, or the hungry Sara and Michael? My bet goes to the brute, Lincoln Burrows and his love, Veronica Donovan."

"Well I guess my bet would go to the intelligent Michael Scofield and doctor Sara Tancredi. And here we go." Watching Lincoln and Michael immediately rush for the pancake; Veronica and Sara just pull back and let the two brothers duke it out.

"You're not getting the last pancake bro!" Lincoln quickly puts his fork on the pancake.

"We'll see about that Linc!" Michael intercepts Lincoln and puts his fork inside the spaces between Lincoln's fork. They pull back but the forks get stuck. After a few seconds, the forks pull apart, leaving Michael and Lincoln falling back on their seats and the chairs flipping backwards. Both Michael and Lincoln fall back and hit the floor. The other four start laughing as Lincoln and Michael quickly get up and start grabbing the pancake with their hands. Michael quickly manages to grab the whole pancake and splits half of it with Sara. Lincoln sits there in a mess and looks disappointed that his little brother beat him.

They finish the pancakes and take the plates to the sink. Sara and Veronica wash the plates as Lincoln and Michael wash up from the fight over the pancake.

"Hey Linc. I ran into Sucre yesterday. You remember him right?" Michael takes a towel and wipes his face as he walks out.

"Of course." Lincoln goes into the bathroom and then drains the sink and fills it again. "So?"

"Well I sort of invited him and his fiancé over for dinner if you and the others don't mind."

"I don't mind man. But we're going out for dinner because this is going to be Jake's first time going out for dinner."

"You really want to make memories for him, don't you?"

"His father deprived him of childhood memories. I want him to experience things he should have when he was a child. I mean we sort of did with the foster families we were shipped to off frequently. Dragging you through trouble was one experience." Lincoln goes to wash his face.

"At least when I remembered how you dragged me through trouble, it was when we were together." Michael takes his towel and hangs it on the shower rod. "Look, let's forget about all the times you've caused me trouble in the past and look to what's about to happen. You have a kid here that's going to need your help now and he wants it." Michael leaves after that and Lincoln wipes his face dry with the other towel; his mind not straying too far from what his brother had said. He finally realizes that Michael was right. He goes out of the bathroom and turns off the lights in there.

Sara gets to work on changing the dressing on Jake's back as he lies down on the sofa bed. She checks bruises and the cuts on his back to make sure he's alright as well. Looking at the stitches however sends a chill down her spine as she thinks about his cruel father. She finishes changing the dressing and Jake sits straight up.

"Thanks again Sara. I probably wouldn't know what to do if you weren't here."

"Think nothing of it." She smiles and helps Jake stand up. "I think by the end of the next two weeks, you can get the stitches removed."

"That's going to be a fun trip." Jake sarcastically said. Sara smiles and she goes to wash up. Veronica does the same thing and LJ follow soon after. Jake decides to sit in the tub after LJ gets out and clean himself because standing straight was more of a pain than he thought. He laughs as he thinks about himself when he walks. He gives himself a nickname, "The Hunchback of Chicago." Soon after, he struggles to get out of the tub but eventually does and changes into his old, smelly clothes. He walks out the bathroom and sees that Lincoln, Veronica, and LJ were waiting for him.

Jake looks around and sees that Michael and Sara have disappeared again. "Where did Michael and Sara go?"

"Their realtor called and said that there are people bidding for the houses they saw yesterday." Veronica answered while she sat next to Lincoln on the couch. They were watching Law and Order on TV.

"Oh so they need to hurry and buy the house that they want before someone else takes it?"

"Yeah." LJ replied. He looks at Jake's clothes and sees that it's the same ones from yesterday and the day before yesterday. "Don't you have a change of clothes?"

"All my clothes are in the trailer. I only have a week's worth of clothes because of you know who."

"Well we can't have that now, can we?" Lincoln says and he gets up. "Let's go to your trailer and get all your things."

Lincoln grabs the keys and Veronica grabs her purse. The two of them walk out the door and LJ holds the door for Jake as he walks through with his crutches. When they go to the elevator, it opens and another couple walks out. They walk in and hit for the first floor.

"Uh, just for safety reasons, can you guys scout it out for me before I head into the trailer? My father probably has his cronies searching for me and I don't want to get grabbed by them."

"Yeah that's fine." Veronica said. She puts her hands on both LJ and Jake's shoulders.

The elevator hits the lobby floor and everyone walks out. They head for the car and get in. Lincoln drives for the trailer. As they drive, they pass by the pizza restaurant, Pizzaria Uno. Lincoln takes a look at that and figures that maybe Jake never ate pizza before and they haven't had pizza in a long time. He remembers the place and then continues to drive off towards the trailer park.

Arriving at the trailer park, Lincoln parks the car and he and Veronica get out and scout the place out to make sure none of the Kyubor Mafia cronies were nearby.

"You know, this place isn't half bad. It's kind of weird seeing how Jake actually lived here with that snake of dad." Veronica said as she checks out her surroundings. The trailer park was actually a green place in the middle of two big buildings. Trailers were lined up nicely as well as the small green grass surrounding it. Some of the people actually had taken care of their yard carefully. It was more of a majestic sight than she could've ever imagined between two tall buildings.

Lincoln holds Veronica's hand. "Want to move here?" He smiles at her.

"No. You're crazy Linc." She and Linc kiss lightly on the lips. Then Lincoln's phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Yeah… just because we're in the car doesn't mean we can't see you." LJ says into the phone. Lincoln could hear Jake laughing in the background. "Anyways, is the coast clear?"

"Yeah. It's fine. You two can come out now." Lincoln hangs up the phone. He shrugs and chuckles. "Kids." Veronica laughs and they kiss again.

As LJ and Jake walk towards them, they watch Veronica and Lincoln from afar.

"I really hope they don't do that all the time." LJ says as he walks slowly beside Jake.

"At least they're in love and not trying to kill each other."

"Well that's true. They're better than Uncle Mike and Sara I guess."

"How so?"

"Well…"

"Hey, hurry up you two! I want to get home before Michael does!" Lincoln yells at Jake and LJ.

"Coming dad!" LJ and Jake both move faster and Jake leads them to the trailer. The weird thing was that as they walked for the trailer, the area began to turn brown and it almost looked like there was a war that was fought on the way there. What was once beautiful became the most dreadful sight.

"This is it." Jake shows them the run-down trailer. There was rust on the outside and a lot of beer cans all over the area. There was even rotten food.

"I can't believe you lived in this place." Veronica was disgusted by the area around the trailer. A rat pops out from the trash and she screeches. Veronica then jumps into Lincoln's arms.

"You know, I thought they only did that on Scooby Doo." LJ chuckles. Lincoln puts Veronica back on her feet.

Jake treads slowly into the trailer and everyone follows.

"God, what died in here?" Veronica asks. The trailer smelt like beer and rotting food. Everyone splits off to find all of Jake's belongings and then they toss it into a big plastic bag. Jake was standing around, staring at the place. He finally sees the place for what it is. And it terrified him.

Every memory came back to haunt him. The insane number of beatings, the insanity of his father, and the tools he used on him. Everything he used on him. It was all there in the bright light.

"You dare disobey me, boy?!" Jake's father's harsh and rugged voice was ringing in his ear. In his eyes, he could see what his father did to him as a kid. It was like a virtual 3D tape of his memories, all playing before his eyes. The numerous beatings with the bat, the branding, and the knife slash; all of it was right there in front of his eyes. He kneels down and puts his hands on his ears. He closes his eyes starts screaming and yelling. Tears were flooding out of his eyes. Everyone heard him screaming and rushed into the area to see what was going on. Lincoln drops the bag and rushes down in front of Jake. LJ drops all of the clothes as well and does the same thing. Veronica kneels next to Lincoln.

"Jake! Snap out of it man!" LJ started shaking Jake but he wouldn't snap out of his trance.

"Linc, we need to get him out of here."

Lincoln picks him up and gets him out of the trailer and into the car. He runs him into the car and sets him in the backseat and he tries to comfort him. Jake eventually snapped out and then leaned into Lincoln's arms. He was in tears.

"What happened in there?"

"Every memory… every painful memory… it all came back." Jake said as he cried.

"It's alright." He holds Jake in the car. "It's alright. He's not going to hurt you anymore."

Veronica and LJ pick up everything else that belonged to Jake and start bringing it back to the car.

"Veronica, is he going to be alright?"

"He'll be fine LJ." Veronica puts the stuff back in the trunk. "I sure hope he is." She mutters to herself.

LJ brings the crutches into the car and he sees that Jake had snapped himself out of the trance.

"He's fine LJ. He just needs some time to set his mind straight. For the time being, let's leave him alone; this is something he needs to get through himself."

LJ gets in the car and so does Veronica. Lincoln starts the car and drives back for the apartment.

"So, what happened?" Veronica asked.

"When I was in the trailer, when I saw the bat, the branding tool… all of it came back. My father's voice, it came back to haunt me." Jake said staring at the window, watching buildings pass by.

"Oh, that's it?" LJ asks. "Well… in this case, there's only one way to fix that."

"How?"

LJ punches Jake in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Jake yelled at LJ.

"See, now you're angry at me and you've completely forgot about what you were dealing about." LJ smiles.

"You suck LJ." Jake sarcastically says, knowing that he was right. He had to forget his past, or at least no longer be afraid of it, and look forward to what's happening now. He has people who care about him, and he cares about them. There was no need to keep looking at the past.

"It's 4 o'clock in the afternoon right now. Shouldn't Michael and Sara be back by now?" Veronica asks as they're still driving in the car.

"He should."

"I hope Uncle Mike isn't doing what I think he's doing with Sara."

Back at the apartment, Michael and Sara were making out on the sofa as they watched an unknown romantic movie that Michael had watched before. They pull away from each other to watch the movie.

"Well at least we know we're getting the house." Sara said as she tried to catch her breath. She smiled.

"Yeah." Michael smiled back. "You have a smile that always wants to make me smile, Sara."

The door flies open. "We're back!" Lincoln yelled into the apartment. Everyone walks into the living room to see lipstick all over Michael's face.

"Uh…"

"No need to tell us." Lincoln said. "I'm pretty sure the lipstick and that old romance movie pretty much says it all."

Veronica takes a look at the movie. "What the? That movie? Are you kidding me Michael? You actually watched it after I recommended you did? You always said romance movies were stupid."

"Well, uh…"

Everyone was laughing at Michael because this was the first time he really didn't have anything to say. "Well, Jake and I will put his stuff over there in that corner and you guys can start talking, making out, doing whatever it is you do." LJ said. As they walk towards the area LJ whispers "sucks to be you man. They just made out on that couch and you have to sleep there."

Jake looks at LJ and glares. "Yeah thanks for reminding me." LJ grins evilly.

As they put the stuff away, Michael turns off the movie and the rest of them head over to the dining table to talk.

"So when is Sucre coming?" Lincoln asks.

"Well he should be here right about…" The doorbell rings. "Now." Lincoln goes and opens the door.

"Hey Sucre." Lincoln greeted his guest.

"Hey Linc. Can we come in?"

"Of course." He steps aside and holds the door while both Sucre and Maricruz walk into the apartment. They both take a look around and the first thing they see is Michael with lipstick all over his face.

"Well, you sure make use of time." Sucre says to his old pal.

Michael laughs. "Hey Sucre." The two of them hug. Michael looks at the woman standing next to him. "You must be Maricruz Delgado." Michael shakes her hand. "Sucre's told me a lot about you."

"He never did shut up about me, did he?" Maricruz asks.

"Nope." Michael chuckles. "Well, this technically isn't our home, but it's a temporary arrangement for me and Sara until we get the house we want."

Maricruz looks around and sees two boys approaching the table, wondering what's going on.

"Oh I almost forgot." Lincoln said. "Those two are my, well that one is my son LJ." He points to LJ. "And the other is my soon-to-be adopted son, Jake." He points at Jake, who was still using his crutches to walk around. "Uh, I'm not sure if he'll tell his story over dinner at Pizzaria Uno, but I think he might. And this here." He brings Veronica to his side and kisses her on the forehead. "This here is the love of my life, Veronica Donovan." He smiles proudly as if he was shouting to the entire universe.

"And this here, is Sara Tancredi, the love of my life." Michael introduced.

"Oh, Fernando told me everything about what happened on the run and about you." Maricruz said. "I feel like I need to thank you for breaking him out because he managed to ruin the marriage before it even happened."

"Yeah I'm pretty sure that would've been a lovely scene to watch." Jake sarcastically said. "I mean it would be pretty nice to see him fight with who it was you were marrying."

"I knocked him out after he tried to call the police on me."

"He was pretty much pissed during the whole wedding. Although that black eye was a new look for him." Maricruz joked around and Sucre laughed. The two of them kiss lightly on the lips.

"Well, maybe it's about time we head for Pizzaria Uno. The earlier we get there, the better chance we don't have to wait for a table." Veronica said as she checked her watch.

"Yeah sure. I just need to change the dressing on Jake's back really fast and then we're good to go." Sara said. She takes Jake quickly and brings him to the sofa bed that they pulled out again. She takes a look at the wound and sees that it's healing fine as long as he does nothing to aggravate it. Quickly, but professionally, she changes the dressing. "Well your wound is healing fine right now. I wouldn't be surprised if you stopped feeling pain by tomorrow."

"I barely feel it right now." He smiles.

"Okay well let's go. Everyone is waiting." She helps Jake get up again and he grabs his crutches and starts walking out together with everyone.

Michael and Sucre start bantering about the past and their time in Fox River while Maricruz gets to know both Sara and Veronica. Lincoln talks with both LJ and Jake as they head down the elevator. It was almost as if they were having a ball with what was happening. Getting in the car, Lincoln drives everyone to Pizzaria Uno, where they immediately get seated as they were the only big party of people there. It was loud like every other restaurant that was busy during the night, during dinner. When they get their order, everyone stops talking for the moment and begin to chow down the deep dish pizzas. Jake never ate pizza before and he loved the taste of it, although he felt bad that he wasn't eating as healthy as he should be. But he didn't care as long as he spent time with the ones he loved, he was happy.

After they finish eating, they spend time talking again before leaving. Jake spills the story to both Sucre and Maricruz. But what he didn't know was that the waitress was also listening onto the story. That piqued everyone else's curiosity in the restaurant so they became quiet as they hear his story at the restaurant. He could hear gasps and comments but didn't care about everyone eavesdropping. It was finally his turn to tell his story.

**Chapter 10: Ghost From the Past**

Jake yawned as the sun streamed through the window, the golden streaks settling on his face and waking him instantly. He stretched out his tired muscles and checked his watch in the process. It was just past six and he knew there was a good half hour before the rest of the family would be up and about.

He lay on the sofa bed a moment, happiness spreading through his body as a tired smile lit up his face. He hadn't felt so cheerful in as long as he could remember and he knew it all had to do with his new living arrangements. He'd found himself a family that accepted him and loved him as much as he did them and the joy he felt just thinking about that was overwhelming in the best possible way.

He said a silent prayer, thanking God for the family he now had, then moved himself off the sofa bed he had been sleeping on. He stretched out again as he stood and then set about returning the bed to its sofa state, folding the blankets, and taking them, along with the pillows, to the linen cupboard. He pulled the bed back inside the sofa and replaced its cushions, then quietly made his way to LJ's bedroom to collect his clothes.

He slowly pushed the door open, the usually soft squeak like a billowing monster in the silence of the house. He stopped, holding his breath to listen for movement or a sign that anyone had woken. After a beat, the silence still unbroken by the others, he pushed the door open a little faster, expelling the squeak as he did. He tiptoed across the room; LJ's light snoring telling him the boy was still dozing heavily away. Grabbing the clothes he'd be wearing, he turned and made his way just as quietly out of the room and slipped the door closed as quietly as he could.

Ten minutes later, he was finished with the bathroom and dressed for the day. He slipped back inside LJ's room to out his pajamas away, and was surprised to find LJ sitting up in his bed, yawning and stretching out his sleep.

"Morning, LJ." Jake stepped in to the room and set his pajamas aside, then took a seat on the chair by the desk.

"Morning." LJ responded as he came out of his yawn. "You're up early, anything the matter?"

"Nope, I always wake up the moment the sun hits my face. Anyway," he gets up off the chair and heads back towards the door. "I'm gonna go get some breakfast. You want me to throw in some toast for you too?"

"Don't bother," LJ tells him, getting off the bed and heading to the closet for his clothes, "I can hear dad's up and he'll be making pancakes today." He pulls his clothes from his closet and steps out of his room behind Jake. He heads towards the bathroom as Jake makes his way to the kitchen.

He finds Veronica and Lincoln cluttering about the small kitchen, while Michael and Sara are setting the plates on the table. "Good morning everyone." He greets them, and they return the greeting in unison, like a well rehearsed choir.

"How's your back today?" Sara asks, making her way to him to check his still healing wound.

"It's not as painful anymore, but it's starting to itch a little around the edges and it's irritating me." He tells her as she lifts his shirt, pulling back the dressing to check his wound.

"Well, that's definitely a good sign," she places the dressing back on the wound and lets him pull his shirt back down. "It's healing nicely and the itching will subside. I'll change the dressing for you again tonight. How about the rest of you, any of your other injuries giving you trouble?" He shakes his head as they take a seat on the table. LJ walks in and another round morning greetings are said as he to takes a seat on the table.

A few minutes later Lincoln and Veronica join them, bringing over the plate of pancakes Lincoln had just cooked. While the adults pour themselves the much needed caffeine they so deeply rely on, Jake and LJ fill their glasses with the juice. They eat in anything but silence as Michael and Sara explain more of the house they had found and Veronica filled them in on the progress she'd made with the case the day before.

"We gotta get going if we don't want to be late." LJ spoke up as he shoveled in the last of his breakfast. He and Jake leave the table, calling out their goodbyes as they made their way to the door. Walking ahead of LJ, Jake pulled the door open and almost collided in to a woman he'd never seen before, standing outside, hand poised as though she were about to knock on the door.

"Ah, hi." LJ spoke from behind him, confusion evident in his voice as he took in the blonde haired woman, standing nervously before them. There was something about her that looked familiar, be he couldn't put his finger on what it could be and didn't have the time to think about it. "Did you need help with anything?"

Her bright blue eyes had focused on Jake from the moment they'd opened the door, but she pulled them away to take in the sight of the young boy who'd spoken to her. Um, I was, ah, looking for a Veronica Donovan." She flicked her gaze between the two boys before her, hoping she'd come to the right address. "I, I'm an old College friend of hers."

For some reason, LJ found himself doubting what the woman was saying, not knowing why but suddenly feeling the urge to protect his family. He was about to question her again when he heard Lincoln's voice behind him. "Boys what are you guys still doing he…" he stopped mid-sentence, taking notice of the blonde haired woman at the front door.

"We opened the door and she was standing outside." LJ told his father. "She said she was an old friend of Veronica's." Lincoln continued to stare back at the woman, trying to figure out what it was about her that seemed so familiar to him, though he was sure they'd never met before in their lives.

"Ok, you boys get to school or you're going to be late." He watched as the woman stepped aside, making room for the boys to step past her. He noticed, as she did this, her eyes followed Jake, and in them he could see a deep sense of sadness. He didn't know what it was about this woman, but he had a feeling in his gut that she wasn't a friend of Veronica's, nor was she there to stir trouble.

"So you say you know Veronica?" He questioned her and she heard the doubt in his voice. She knew he knew her story wasn't the truth but she was afraid what he would do if she told him who she really was. Realizing she'd taken too long to answer, she decided the only option she had was to tell him the truth about what she was doing here.

"I, I did say that, yes, but the truth is, I don't know Veronica, not personally anyway." She waited for him to slam the door shut in her face, but when she realized he wasn't going to do such a thing, and that he was waiting for her to explain herself, she released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "I don't know Veronica but I know _of_ her."

"Who are you?" His question wasn't cold nor was it welcoming, it was simply curious. He wanted to know who she was and what she wanted there but he didn't want to freak her out as he noted how nervous she already was.

She took in a deep breath and swallowed the lump that had forged itself in her throat. "My name's Samantha Keeley. We've never met, but, uh, I um, you have." She takes another breath to calm her suddenly nervous self and closes her eyes to quash the tears that threatened to fall. "I'm Jake Sienel's mother."

**Chapter 11: A Series of Unfortunate Events**

Lincoln stood, open mouthed, staring back in shock at the blonde haired woman before him. She was fidgeting nervously with her the black bag she held in her hands, twiddling the zipper between her fingers as she waited for him to move past his shock.

Her words, and Jake's account of her death, were playing back on a loop in his mind. She was supposed to be dead; he'd told them the Kyubor Mafia had "taken care of her" once she'd learned the truth about them. Yet here was this woman, claiming she was Jake's mother. And the craziest thing of all was that Lincoln believed her.

He had felt there was something about her he'd recognized when he'd first seen her but knew they'd not met before in their lives. When she'd told him who she was, it hit him, like a harsh slap in his face, what it was that made this woman so familiar to him. The bright blue eyes that looked back at him were Jake's eyes; so uncanny was the resemblance it was as though they'd been taken from the boy's very face and placed in hers. And it wasn't just the eyes that bore resemblance to her son; it was the face that looked back at him with a sadness he'd seen too many times on Jake's own. There was no denying the woman was who she claimed to be, and because of this, within him, Lincoln's emotions were raging war against one another.

While there was no questioning he felt a certain happiness that Jake at least had a mother out there that no doubt wanted to be in his life, he couldn't help but feel suddenly threatened by her presence. He loved Jake like he was his own child and had no idea how he would react to seeing his mother alive when he'd thought her dead all this time. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but would the boy really choose them over her once he was given the choice? It was this that worried Lincoln the most. He would never deny Jake his mother, but the thought of losing him was one he could fathom.

"I'm sorry, Lincoln." her voice brought him out of his reverie and he realized it had been a while since either of them had spoken.

"How do you know my name?" He asked her, remembering he had yet to offer it to her nor had neither or LJ said it when he'd some to see them at the door.

She swallowed, nervous and afraid that she was losing her chance to explain her story; her only chance to see Jake again. "I know this is a shock but please, if you'll let me explain, you'll understand better." She looked at him with hopeful eyes still so full of that same sadness that possessed them as she'd watched Jake leaving for school moments earlier.

He couldn't deny her the right to explain herself and truth be told he was itching to learn where she'd been for the past twelve years. He stepped aside, holding the door open for her. She hesitated on the landing, suddenly nervous about what she was about to do. She had waited twelve years to find her son, and after laying eyes on him earlier, she wanted nothing more than to scoop him in her arms and never let him go again. But she knew that was something she'd be doing any time soon and so, taking in a deep breath, she stepped past Lincoln through the door.

He closed it behind her and turned toward her. It unsettled him, still, how much Jake resembled his mother and how alike the two were in actions and facial expressions as much as in their features. "Come through," he told her as he stepped past her and led the way to the lounge where he knew the others would be. "There are a few people you should meet, I guess."

She followed him and stopped when they came to the lounge. Three pairs of eyes were turned to her, watching her with apparent confusion masking their faces. They'd been watching the morning news, she noted, but their attention had since been diverted from whatever it was the reporter was broadcasting and focused solely on her.

"This is Samantha Keeley…"

"Sammie." She interrupted him, unable to stop the habit of offering that name, no matter how badly she wanted to. "You can call me Sammie." They looked at her, still with confusion on their faces but then she saw it, on the only other male's face she saw what she had seen in Lincoln's eyes. He recognized her but was having a hard time placing it. She noticed as he creased his forehead, trying to think where they'd met before, and if this were any other situation, she knows she'd have laughed at the sight. But she stood still as Lincoln simply nodded at her and continued his introduction as though he'd not been interrupted.

"This is Sammie," he started again, the next words almost painful for him to speak. "She's Jake's mother." He heard the simultaneous gasps emitted from the three on the couches; watched as their mouths, too, fell open in a silent _o_ and their eyes grew wide in astonishment.

Sammie watched as they continued to gape at her much the same way Lincoln had, and she saw a level of understanding cross the man's face. She understood the precise moment when the pieces begun to fall in to place, saw it as though she was in his mind when it happened.

"Jake's mother?" The auburn haired woman, who she assumed was Sara Tancredi, asked, and she saw, from the corner of her eye, Lincoln nodding his head at her confirming the truth she too found so hard to believe. She knew then that the only explanation given surrounding her disappearance had to be that of death and suddenly the anger swelled within her. "But, but it can't be." Even as Sara spoke the words, Sammie could see that she too believed; that she too had seen the resemblance and couldn't deny the fact as it stood staring back at them.

"But Jake said you were killed." This came from the brunette woman she knew to be Veronica Donovan, seated on the single sofa, but her words clearly conveyed the lie she knew to surround that statement.

"How did you find us?" The infamous Michael Scofield had finally been pulled from his silence to speak to her his first words. She already knew he believed that she was Jake's mother, but she saw he spoke to her as though trying to protect his family and in much the same tone LJ had spoken to her earlier.

She looked back at him a moment, the nerves still running rampage in her body, before she answered him in the strongest voice she could possibly muster. "I hired a private investigator."

He nodded his head at her, but his defenses were still up and his demeanor guarded. He didn't ask her anything more but he didn't avert his gaze from hers either. They continued to watch her, the four adults that had taken care of Jake and pulled him from the near clutches of death at his own father's hands. After a moment, she could no longer take the silence and knew she needed to tell them her story as much as they needed to hear it.

She was about to suggest just that when the red haired woman rose from her seat and walked towards her. Though shock still shadowed her features, Sammie could tell the woman was trying her best to be welcoming, and her efforts were heartwarming; they melted away some of the icy fear she felt deep within her.

"I'm sorry about all this," she told her as she came to stand before her. "It's just that Jake told us you were killed after you learned the truth about the Kyubor Mafia and for you to come here and tell us that you're Jake's mom, well to say it was really a shock to us all would be an understatement." Sara placed her hand on the Sammie's shoulder, squeezing lightly by way of support. "I suppose you already who we are," Sammie nodded and Sara smiled as she received confirmation. "I guess then it's time for us to learn who you are and what exactly happened to you."

Nodding her head again at Sara, she followed her to take a seat on the only other sofa in the lounge room. She didn't notice Veronica had disappeared until she saw her come back carrying a tray of cups, the strong, yet refreshing aroma of coffee wafting through the room with her. Once they'd all taken their mugs, and Sara had resumed her position beside Michael, and Lincoln and Veronica too had taken their seats, she took a small sip from the steaming cup in her hands then begun the story she at times had trouble believing.

"Well," she started, suddenly realizing her hands were shaking slightly. She gripped the mug slightly tighter to still them, and when she was satisfied they were as still as she'd get them, she continued. "I guess the best place to start is the beginning, and by that I mean when we first met." They nodded in agreement and she sipped at her coffee again.

"I met Jurell when I was seventeen, in my final year of high school. He was the new kid in town and I guess I related so well to him as I always thought of myself as somewhat of an outsider, and he being the new kid, well I guess we found we had a bit in common.

"We started dating six months after he arrived, but I knew I had fallen for him long before that and I knew he would be the man I would marry. He told me he'd felt the same way as I did and I guess our relationship was fast tracked from then on. We got married straight out of high school, two eighteen year olds head over heels for one another we thought we were invincible, unbreakable in every way.

"Anyway, that six month period before we started dating was the "get to know you" period. I told him everything there was to know about me, which wasn't much for a small town girl, and he turn sated my curious mind with his life, which was much more interesting than mine. But despite our honesty with one another, there was always a barrier that shot up between us when the subject of family was brought up.

"He hated discussing them, the most I learned in that time was, that like me, he was an only child, but unlike me, his mother had died of cancer when he was only two years old, so he knew basically nothing about her." She paused here a moment, the irony of the situation amazing her yet again. "I guess it's some sick cycle they had going on, ridding the family of a mother when the _single_ child wasn't yet old enough to remember anything about her."

"So the Mafia got rid of Jurell's mother too?" Lincoln was disgusted at the revelation; the worst part was he understood how easy it was to get of people no longer deemed important to the cause.

"I learned later that she was "taken care of" and I'm certain Jurell knew, to some extent at least, the truth behind his mother's death." Her sad eyes landed on Lincoln's incensed ones a moment before she tore her gaze away to stare at the empty spot in the wall she had been watching throughout her story.

"Anyway, he never told anything about his father except that he had owned an insurance company, and that he was expected to take control when he finished his studies. He told me that because of his work, they moved around a lot He didn't even introduce me to his father until the day he proposed to me.

"You're probably thinking why that didn't bother me at the time, but truth be told, it did, so much. I begged him over and over again to let me meet him, especially when things started getting serious, but every time he promised, his father conveniently was out of town on business. After about three months of this I gave up, I could see that every time I'd mention the meeting he'd tense and he wasn't the Jurell I'd fallen in love with. I didn't want to create friction between us; I hated when we fought, he'd become more important to me than life itself and I just let that slide.

"A month out of high school we were married and living in the house his father had put the deposit on for us. He'd wanted to buy it, but Jurell had refused and told him he wanted to pay it off himself. I remember their argument went on for the first month of our marriage until finally his father relented.

"I was studying to become a nurse, night school four days of the week and working as a waitress in the day. Jurell worked with his father and life was good, no, it was great. We were doing well financially and the future looked so bright for us sometimes I had to remind myself that this was my reality and not some extended dream I'd fallen in to.

"Three years in to our marriage I discovered I was pregnant and it felt like everything was just falling in to place. I put my studies on hold for a year and had Jake the week after my twenty-second birthday." Her eyes glazed over with tears as the memory of her new born son in her arms flushed through her mind. "He was so tiny when he was born, and had the thickest head of hair on him. I couldn't imagine ever leaving this precious little boy for anything and so the one year became an indefinite amount of time. We were happy and in love, and Jake completed us.

"But of course, our happiness and bliss came to an end. That cloud nine we were on evaporated the day Jurell's father died in a car accident. I learnt later it was Mafia related, another clique had been pursuing him for a few years and they finally got him, staged the whole thing to look like a freak car accident on an extremely rainy day in the middle of winter. Jake was about eighteen months when his grandfather died.

"Jurell had to step up to the plate, he became boss of the company and the change in him was instant. He suddenly became moodier, he could barely hold his temper, and he almost completely stopped talking to me. I feared the man he had become and longed for the man I had fallen in love with.

"This one night, he'd come home in an extremely foul mood. I tried to get him to talk to me, to let me understand but he wouldn't tell me anything. I was getting sick of him and his mood swings and was ready to confront him, demand he tell me what it was that turned him in to a ghost of the man I'd fallen for. But then Jake woke up and I left him with his dinner to get my son.

"He must have had a horrible nightmare or something because try as I might to soothe his crying and get him back to sleep, his screaming only escalated. I'd been with him for about twenty minutes before I saw Jurell storm in to the room, screaming at me to shut him up, all kinds of obscenities he was throwing my way. I was scared, more scared than I'd ever been in my life. In the whole time I'd known him, this was first time he'd ever screamed at me or been so infuriated with me.

"His fury did nothing to help Jake's crying and it just got worse. I didn't see it coming but the next thing I knew, Jurell had had slapped me so hard across my face I lost my balance and fell. It was the first time he'd ever raised a hand against me but what I feared most was that he'd done it while I had the baby in my hands. I'd somehow managed to stave off injury on Jake as I fell.

"He told to me to shut him the hell up then stalked out of the room. I managed to get Jake to sleep then locked myself in the nursery and cried myself to sleep that night. I didn't see him again until the next evening and he wasn't acknowledging what had happened so I had stopped talking to him.

"I learned soon after that situation about the Kyubor Mafia. He was at work and I was at home, venting all my anger out on the dishes. I wanted so desperately to know what his problem was but had been stumped, until that morning, on what I could do. I finished my work quickly then went to his study. He had a habit of locking it every morning before he'd leave and I knew he'd locked it again that day but I was on a mission and I was going to find out what was going on with him.

"I found the door to his study unlocked and for the first time in the five months since the death, I felt a shred of hope. I thought, so foolishly, that once I understood what the problem with Jurell was, I'd be able to help him and we could go back to the way we were.

"I attacked that study, I didn't care in the least about the mess I was making. Had I known then, how serious my rummaging would be, I would have been so much more careful. But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine Jurell was involved in the Mafia.

"I found memos in his drawers, newspaper clippings that dated as far back as the early seventies and came from a collection of states all over the country, and a stack of Polaroid's that all had the word _Gorring_ scrawled across them. I'd never heard of that before, but as I leafed through the articles, I learnt that "Gorring" was the surname of the most wanted Mafia family in the seventies.

"I didn't understand what this meant until I came across the very last newspaper article in the collection, and that one only dated back to nineteen eighty-seven, a year and a half before Jurell came in to my life. It was in that I learnt that the apparently notorious Jurell Sienel Snr, Jurell's father, was seemingly linked to the Bourky Mafia however there wasn't enough evidence for the authorities to be certain of his involvement."

"_Bourky_ Mafia?" Michael interrupted her, his apologetic eyes boring in to hers. "I thought they were the Kyubor Mafia."

She smiled at him but before she had the chance to go on and explain, she saw his face light up with understanding and he beat her to it. "'Kyubor' is an anagram of 'Bourky.'" He was amazed by the simplicity of it all. "They changed the name around to shift the level of interest the media had with their Mafia. When did this happen?"

"I knew you'd get it, Michael," she smiled at him and in turn received a smile back. "The Bourky Mafia ceased to exist in ninety-five. Kyubor Insurance was born a year later after they decided to keep it on the down low and go in hiding for a while. _Sienel_ _and_ _Son_ continued to operate until the name change."

"So no one realized the change." It was more of a statement than anything but she nodded her head then picked up where she'd left off.

"So the article went on to explain the rift that existed between the two mafia groups and things started to fall in to place. I knew _Sienel_ _and_ _Son_ was an insurance company as a cover for the mafia, but I had trouble getting my head around it. I didn't want it to be true but the more I searched, the more the evidence began stacking up in favor

"I found files and bank statements that showed hundreds and thousands of dollars being laundered in to off shore accounts that were supposedly insurance claims from clients. There were funds reserved for the interstate offices that eventually closed down.

"I don't know what exactly possessed me to, but I found myself writing everything I had learned that day in my journal. I guess it was out of habit more than anything else.

"It was only half past three by the time I'd finished my search. I didn't want to confront Jurell about this whole mess for fear he'd lose his temper with me, but I wasn't given a choice in the matter. He came home that afternoon at four and found me in his study trying to tidy up the mess I'd made during my search." Her voice dropped and her eyes again glazed over with tears.

"I had never seen him so angry before, even that time he'd come in to Jake's room and hit was nothing compared to this. He watched me in silence for a beat then closed the doors and locked it from the outside. I didn't have the key and it was impossible to open without it. The windows had bars on them and so I was a caged rat. I was so scared, I remember the fear I felt just waiting for him to come back.

"I decided to stop clearing away everything I'd messed up. He knew and there was no backing down, we had to have the discussion. When the door opened though, it wasn't Jurell that I saw. It was some guy I'd never met before.

"The next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital bed and being told that it had been two weeks since I was admitted and I'd fallen in to a coma." She hadn't realized the tears had started to slip down her cheeks as she spoke, the pain of that dreadful time still so hard for her to bear after so many years.

"The doctors told me I was brought in by an old couple who said they found me in the dumpster behind their unit block. I was put there deliberately so that I could be found, but no trace of who did this could be found on me. He'd stripped me off my clothes and had worn gloves when he disposed of me.

"Anyway, I was so badly beaten they didn't expect me to survive. When I woke up, I didn't remember a thing about what happened and we soon learnt I was suffering from memory loss brought on by the beating he'd given me. They told me it was a miracle I wasn't brain damaged and that my memory should start coming back to me.

"They posted my picture on the news and asked if there was anyone who recognized me, but no one came forward. I waited for so long for a memory to tell me who I was and what happened to me, but it was six months before I got my first flash of a memory. I saw myself holding Jake in my arms and so the first thing I learnt about myself was that somewhere out there I had a son named Jake.

"It was three years before I remembered enough to start trying to fit my life back together again. I hired Archie Ryan, a private investigator, to help me find my son and I've been working alongside him for the last nine years. He told me a month ago he found Jake but it was a false lead. Two weeks ago he came to me and told me that this time, he truly had found him so we hopped on the next plane out to Chicago, without really a plan of what I was going to say or do.

"We decided we'd watch him for the two weeks, and the best place to see him was at school. I never followed him home. I was scared that if Jurell saw me he'd recognize me in an instant and I'd lose Jake again and I couldn't bear that thought. So I kept my distance and waited until Archie brought back the relevant information concerning Jake at the present time.

"I cried for hours on end when I read Jurell had been physically abusing him for some time and that he was hospitalized at the time because of his father's behavior. I know he's been out of hospital since Friday but I wanted him to be settled in before I contacted you."

"You've been looking for Jake for the last nine years." It's not a question Sara posed but a statement of abject disbelief and she can't stem the flow of tears that suddenly produced from her eyes. "Was anyone ever arrested for the bashing?"

"No." She choked out the single word through her tears. She had told them her story and she wanted nothing more than to see her son. Noting it was already a quarter past midday, she wondered if luck would be on her side again today.

"Does Jake come home for lunch?" Her question was met with a moment of silence before Lincoln slowly nodded his head at her.

"Yeah, lunch is from half past twelve so the boys will be home at twenty to one." She noted, for the first time, the expression on his face and knew instantly what caused the troubled look to grace his features.

"Lincoln," she spoke softly to him, wiping away the last of her tears. "I can see how much Jake means to you and I know you've all gone to such lengths to get him away from that monster of a father of his. I'll forever be indebted to you for saving my son. But I want you to know, as much as it kills me to admit this, I have no right to claim him or to call him my son in anything more than name. You've been more a part of his life than I have…"

"But you can't blame yourself for that, it wasn't your fault." Veronica interrupted her; shocked that she was accepting responsibility for something she couldn't help.

"Not entirely, but I was foolish enough to get caught snooping. I was being selfish at the time, trying to fix my marriage and get things back to the way they were when I should have just accepted the change and either learned to live with it or taken my son and gotten has far away as I could possibly go. I chose to fight and I lost my family as a result.

"I meant what I said, you've been a larger part of his life than I have and you've saved him from what was surely going to be his early death. I know about the custody hearing you're working on Veronica, and I want you all to know I'm not going to get in the way of that. I want Jake to be happy and safe and I see he has that here. I would never do anything to inflict on him any more pain than he's already been dealt in life. All I ask, is that you give me the chance to get to know him."

Lincoln was moved by her words. He hated to admit it made him feel so much better knowing she wouldn't contest his case for Jake's custody, but he couldn't help feeling that way. "None of us are going to stand in your way of getting to know Jake. But in the end it's completely up to him and whatever he decides we'll respect that."

As Veronica collected the cups and took them back to the kitchen, the front door opened and Jake and LJ walked in. They stopped in lounge room, noting the woman that had been at the door this morning was seated in their lounge.

"Hey dad," LJ greeted cautiously, "What's going on here?"

"Take a seat guys, please." They moved in to the lounge, LJ sitting down on Veronica's couch while Jake settled himself on the arm of the same couch. No one spoke for a moment as they all contemplated the best way to tell Jake the news. They had no idea what his reaction would be but they were clearly aware of the time ticking away before them.

"Guys, this is Samantha, Sammie, Keeley." They looked on at Lincoln with confusion. He still had no idea what to say to them so decided he'd come right out and just say it. "Jake, Sammie's your mom."

They saw as Jake gripped the back of the chair to steady himself; watched as his eyes widened in horror and his mouth fell open to form a silent _o_. They watched as he went from total shock and surprise, to anger in the space of twenty seconds, and the emotion Sammie had feared he'd feel reared its hideous head.

"My mother died twelve years ago." He stated through gritted teeth before pulling himself up off the arm of the couch and moving toward the door. Sammie wouldn't let him leave without first hearing her out and so she too leapt from her chair and followed him as he stormed through the door and out in to the hallway.

"Jake wait, please." She begged him and to her surprise he stopped. He didn't turn to face her and she didn't dare approach him for fear he may run off again. "Please, let me explain what happened."

He didn't answer her immediately but she took it as a good thing he didn't just bolt on her again. Without turning to face her, he spoke four single words to her in a low, almost inaudible whisper. "You have five minutes."

She didn't waste her time as she leapt right in to the story of the day she had learned the truth about the mafia. She spoke quickly and prayed that he'd understand, that he'd believe her when she told him she was sorry she couldn't protect him from the unfortunate excuse he had for a father. But most of all she hoped he'd give her the chance to get to know him, and that he'd want to get to know her, too.

**Chapter 12: Chemistry 101 with the Kyubor Mafia**

Sammie leaves the apartment, feeling proud of herself for confronting her son. She smiles and knows that Jake is doing okay and that he let her explain herself to him. Walking down the sidewalk, Lionel spies on her after following Jake to the house. He calls up Jurell on his phone and he picks up.

"This is going to escalate further, sir."

"What the hell is going on?"

"Your ex-wife. She walked out of the place where Jake was. Now if she testifies fully against you-"

"Take care of it. Do not KILL her. Just take care of it."

"You got it boss." Lionel hangs up the phone and starts the van. He drives up behind Sammie and gets out the car to grab her.

"Get your hands off of me!" She yells and struggles to get out of his grip. Lionel manages to get a hold on her and ties her up. He gags her and then shoves her into the back of the van. Quickly closing the doors, he drives off and waits until later in early morning to meet up with his crew.

*---*

It was 2 o'clock in the morning and something was stirring in the midst up at Wentworthville High. A group of men were breaking into the school and were in the basement.

"Here's the plan guys." Lionel said to grab the attention of his men. "We need to find the room where Jake will have Chemistry Class." He explains the rest of the plan to the crew. "Make sure that the timing is just about right because if it isn't, then this plan is a complete bust and someone will know that someone else has been planning attacks."

*---*

It was Tuesday, the day where everyone has pretty much gotten back to their regular schedules in work and in life. Lincoln and Sara had both woken up at 6:30 in the morning and were already dressed at home. Lincoln was wearing shorts and a white T-Shirt while Sara was wearing a simple blouse and small shorts.

Sara takes a look at Jake from over the counter in the kitchen while Lincoln was cooking.

Sara sighs and that grabs Lincoln's attention as he cooks the same breakfast he did yesterday. But instead of putting eggs in the pan and using ham, he switches it up and makes scrambled eggs and Portuguese sausage cut up into smaller, cylindrical pieces.

"Something on your mind?" He asks Sara as he flips the eggs in the pan.

"Jake really didn't take well to seeing his mother yesterday." Sara turns around to face Lincoln.

"Well there were a lot of things stacking up to what happened yesterday."

"Yeah I know. He didn't know his mother was alive and she was missing for over 12 years. But I thought he might've been at least slightly happy that he has a mom."

"Well when our dad disappeared on me and Mike and we saw him again, we acted the same way. We were mad that he vanished on us because we kept getting shifted off to foster families." Lincoln takes the scrambled eggs out of the pan and then puts another set in. He goes into the oven and takes out the sausage pieces and puts it on the plate.

"I guess I understand. But I've always wondered about something." She waits for Lincoln to finish so she has his full attention. "Michael told me what happened in the past as you were growing up. He said that you started messing up in life when you were growing up as teenagers."

"I don't know what I was thinking in the past. I can't even understand why I did the things I did."

"Well, it probably was because you were mad at your father and you were using it as an excuse of some sort."

"Maybe." It was silent after that.

"Michael also told me that you were the one who paid for his college and you did the things you did because you thought that he deserved it."

Lincoln couldn't say anything. He was waiting to see what else she would say.

"I can't believe you would do that for Michael. Especially knowing you may never be able to pay it back. And to be honest… I really admire you for doing that for him."

Lincoln smiles as he felt that he and Sara were on a better understanding, a better friendship. He and Sara never really had much of a conversation since the whole conspiracy the Company had created.

Jake wakes up and yawns as loud as a lion's roar. He rubs his eyes.

"Just wake up the neighborhood with your yawn Jake." Lincoln sarcastically said.

Jake looks in Lincoln's direction and sees both him and Sara smiling. He smiles back and says "good morning."

"Good morning." They both replied back.

Lincoln takes a look at the time and sees its 6:40 AM. "You better wash your face and get dressed or you'll be late for class."

Jake takes a look at his watch. He was surprised he slept an extra 40 minutes. "Shit." He thought. He hurriedly gets off the sofa bed and rushes as fast as he can with his crutches into LJ's room. He grabs his clothes, slams LJ's door behind him, and heads into the bathroom.

Lincoln and Sara take a look at each other and then laugh. "I think he's been so comfortable living here without worrying about his father that he actually slept in." Sara said as she moves towards the cupboard to take the plates and cups out.

"Yeah I think so too. Did you see how fast he took off?"

Sara chuckles. "Yeah. Never thought anyone could do that on crutches."

LJ opens his door and walks outside. "What the hell did he slam my door for?"

"Did you even take a look at the time?" Lincoln asks him.

LJ takes a look at the clock and sees that it's 6:45 AM now. His eyes widen with the surprise of how late he slept in and he yells "oh shit!" LJ starts slamming on the bathroom door. "Hurry up Jake! I need to get dressed as well!"

"Shut up! I'm moving as quickly as I can. I'm on my damn crutches!" Jake shouted from the other end of the door.

"You can move faster than that!" LJ continues to slam the door. Jake finally opens it and gets out, all dressed up. "Thank god!" LJ rushes inside and quickly fills the sink with water.

Lincoln and Sara fix the table while Veronica and Michael walk out of their rooms to wonder what was going on. Jake fixes the sofa bed and quickly puts it away. He sits down on the table and starts to eat his breakfast.

"What's with all the yelling?" Michael asks.

"I know. I was sleeping and then I heard the boys yelling." Veronica rubs her eyes.

"They're going to be late for school." Lincoln said.

"Well why didn't you wake them up?" Veronica asks.

"Well, Sara and I were engaged in a pretty nice conversation and we both lost track of time as I was cooking and talking with her at the same time."

Michael sits down at the table along with Veronica and starts eating breakfast as well. LJ storms out of the bathroom and back into his room. He opens his drawers and his closet and starts putting on his clothes.

"Oh my god! Where the hell is my shirt!? This isn't even mine!" LJ was yelling in his room while everyone listened and ate. They took at look at Jake and then Jake looks at his shirt. He also notices that the shirt he was wearing wasn't his.

"Aren't you going to go tell him that you're wearing his shirt?" Michael asks after he swallows down the egg in his mouth.

Jake grins evilly. "Nah. I'll let him go crazy for a couple of minutes because he drove me crazy while I was in the bathroom." Lincoln laughs at the thought of what he was doing. Everyone began to laugh soon after because they loved that LJ and Jake were really acting like brothers.

LJ comes out and wears Jake's shirt. He looks at Jake and sees that he's wearing his shirt. "You son of a." Lincoln's clearing of the throat cuts LJ off just before he said that word. "Why the hell are you wearing my shirt?"

"I guess in the rush that I woke up late this morning, I might've grabbed your shirt when I grabbing my clothes. I'm surprised it was just your shirt though. Because I didn't know what the hell I was grabbing when I was rushing around."

"LJ, sit down and eat. Better do it fast too because you're going to be late for school." Veronica said. LJ sat down in his seat and started eating. After five minutes, he was done as well as Jake. They put their plates in the sink and hurry into the bathroom to brush their teeth.

"Hey, I want my shirt back."

"Yeah, sure." Jake takes off LJ's shirt and LJ takes Jake's off. They trade the shirts and put their own shirts back on. They walk out of the bathroom after brushing their teeth and grab their bags.

"Bye dad! Bye Veronica! Bye Uncle Mike! Bye Sara!" LJ and Jake yelled in unison as they run out the door, shutting it.

"Those two are going to be inseparable brothers like you two." Veronica remarked.

"I agree. They even gave each other back their shirts." Sara said. The rest of them continue to finish their food and then they sit down, discussing about what they'll do at the hearing and Jake's mother.

LJ and Jake walk to school, discussing about Jake's mother as well.

"I can hardly believe she's been alive this whole time. I mean I'm glad she's back and all, but she was missing for 12 years and all the torture I went through; it just frustrates me." Jake pushes the button for the crosswalk.

"Well I honestly would've been happy that I still have my mom. I mean she was killed during that whole conspiracy and she was trying to protect me."

"At least you lived with her for 16 years. I don't even know mine." The crosswalk sign says walk and he and LJ walk across the street.

LJ sighs. "Well, at least she's alive. Anyways, don't we have to do an experiment for Chemistry today?"

"Shit. You're right. And sadly, Chemistry is my worst class on the list. Mr. Conway is strict about everything."

"Well did you even study what you're supposed to do?" Jake blushes and does nothing but smile out of the embarrassment. "Guess not."

"Science isn't my forte to be precise. I'm just lucky I managed to skip two grades to begin with."

"Well there's no way in hell I'm letting you touch the chemicals today."

"Just tell me what to do, boss."

After about five minutes of walking, they make it to the front doors of the school. LJ helps Jake walk up the steps and they head inside for their lockers. They have about 15 minutes before the first bell rings to head for 1st period.

*---*

Sitting in the van with Lionel, Sammie calms down but was nervous from what could happen to her.

"What do you want with me?" She asks.

"Nothing really except to keep you from testifying at the hearing."

"Just because you have me doesn't mean that my son won't testify."

"Oh he's not going to be a problem. As a matter of fact, we're taking care of it and it'll be done very soon."

Sammie sat there, dreading those very words that came out of his mouth. _What would happen to Jake?_ She started to worry and felt useless because she couldn't do anything.

*---*

To both LJ and Jake's surprise, the first two periods went by swiftly. But considering that LJ had History 2nd period and Jake had it 1st period, they both probably fell asleep. The two of them found listening to lectures longer than 15 minutes boring. But now was the class they had together, Chemistry with Mr. Conway. Sitting down at the same table as partners, as brothers, they paid attention to the rules Mr. Conway had set up for their experiment today.

"Damn is he always this boring and specific?" LJ whispers to Jake.

"Well a couple of juniors last year were talking about how much of a bastard he was. Of course I didn't believe them, until today." Jake whispers back.

Mr. Conway gets the meter stick and hits Jake and LJ's table, bringing everyone's attention to them. "Pay attention unless you want me to give you a month's detention." His voice was low and nearly inaudible which made it even more terrifying. He walks away from them and towards the white board in front of the class. "As I was saying…"

"You're right. He is a bastard." LJ remarked. Jake resisted the temptation to chuckle as a single disturbance in his class would get him detention for tomorrow's lunch.

Back outside of the school, Lionel starts messaging his cronies.

"Are they doing the experiment yet?"

"Not yet sir."

"What could possibly take them to do a fucking experiment?"

"Well, from our position, it appears that the teacher is a bastard. A strict bastard."

"Well you know what to do when the experiment starts. Over and out!"

"What the hell are you going to do to my son?!" Sammie yells.

"Oh nothing much. Just cause an explosion that could kill him and if it doesn't, then we will." Lionel puts the gag back on her and he couldn't hear anything except a muffled voice.

"Damn teacher. Hurry up and let them start the stupid experiment. I want to get this stupid job done so I can get out of here." The man that Lionel was talking on the other walkie talkie mutters silently to himself. Watching from the behind the bush in front of the window, he observes carefully to see when their mixing the chemicals for the experiment. He finally sees that Jake and LJ were finally mixing chemicals. "Bingo." He pulls the trigger and the C-4 goes off, causing a huge explosion, pandemonium, and a fire.


	8. Chapter 13 through 16

**Chapter 13: The Hunt in a Sea of Fire**

The Burrows and Scofield family were busy chatting about for the hearing as they wait for LJ and Jake to come home for lunch, unaware of the events that have occurred. Lincoln and Michael both throw cracks at each other while Veronica and Sara get a little bit of girl talk.

"Hey, shouldn't LJ and Jake be on their way home soon?" Veronica asks.

"They should." Michael said as he checks his watch. It was 12:15 at noon.

"Well this is a perfect time for a break. Let's watch some TV until they come back." Sara suggested as she heads for the sofa. Michael follows and sits down next to her while Veronica turns on the TV and sits on the sofa armrest. Lincoln decides to start cooking so there would be hot food on the table when they arrive for lunch.

"Oh this is a perfect TV show. I used to watch this with-" Veronica started and then the TV show gets interrupted.

"We interrupt this program for a special news bulletin." A news reporter appeared on the TV grabbing everyone but Lincoln's attention. "We've just received news of large fire that has erupted over Wentworthville High School a mere ten minutes ago. An explosion is said to have sounded on the eastern front of the school and is speculated to have started inside one of the Chemistry classrooms. We cross live now to our correspondent, Jennifer Ekims."

"Linc, come here! You need to see this!" Michael successfully grabs Lincoln's attention and he puts everything down.

"What's up? Lincoln asks as he looks at the TV.

"There's been a fire at the school." Sara said as calmly as possible.

"What?! Are LJ and Jake alright?!" He stopped his cooking and rushed over to the lounge to join the others.

"We don't know Linc. There isn't any report if anyone is still stuck inside." Michael reported. They stare dumbstruck at the scenes playing out before their eyes, fear rippling through their paralyzed bodies as the reporter continues the story.

"Thanks Elle. I'm standing here in front of the high school where the massive blaze is said to have broken out ten minutes ago. As you can see, the students and teachers have evacuated and are currently checking the rolls to ensure every member has been successfully removed from school grounds. You can just feel the fear surrounding these unsuspecting victims.

"I spoke to Principal Kim Bill only moments ago and he informed me that an explosion sounded only seconds before the flames erupted. He told me no reports of missing or injured students or members of staff have yet reached him, but could not tell me for certain until the final roll call has been completed." The screen showed images of the raging fire, the black smog thick and heavy in the air, as the in station reporter began questioning Jennifer.

"Any news as to how the fire started?"

"None yet, Elle, however that there was an explosion accompanying the fire, there are fears that a bomb may have been detonated at the site of the fire." The images changed to show firefighters attacking the flames, trying to douse the mighty fire.

"As you can see, firefighters are on the scene. They arrived several minutes after the fire begun, however their attempts have proved unsuccessful thus far. We'll update you as the news rolls in, back to you Elle."

The second Elle was back on screen, Lincoln seemed to jump out of his daze, practically running out of the lounge towards the door, grabbing his keys as he went. "I've gotta get down there. I need to know that they're ok."

"Wait Linc, I'm coming too." Michael said as he put his hand on his shoulder. Lincoln nods his head and he and Michael leave the apartment. Veronica and Sara were worried and wanted to follow, but they thought that they would get in the way.

As Lincoln and Michael ran through the hallway to the elevator, they run into Sucre and Maricruz.

"Michael, what's up?" Sucre was worried as to his friend's rush. He knew Michael and he knew something was going on.

"Sucre, what are you doing here?"

"Well, Mari and I thought you guys could use some food and refreshments because of the situation. But why are you in a rush?"

"There was a fire at LJ and Jake's school. Linc and I are going to make sure they're safe."

"Oh my god. Fernando, go with them. I'll talk with the girls and make sure everything's alright."

"Alright." Sucre puts the bags down on the floor. He kisses her lightly on the lips. "I love you. And thank you for letting me help Michael."

"Just don't do anything reckless okay? I can't raise this baby alone." They kiss one more time and the three of them depart back down the elevator. Maricruz knocks on the door and Veronica opens it.

'"Hey. Uh there's-"

"A fire at the school." Veronica looks at her in perplexity as to how she knew.

"Sucre and I ran into Linc and Michael. They told us everything. I knew I couldn't go to help because I'm pregnant. But I'm here if you need help with anything. We actually had plans to bring lunch for you guys and it's out there on the floor in the hallway."

"Well we can't have other's steal it." Veronica walks out and grabs the rest of the bags. She and Maricruz walk inside and set the bags on the counter.

"Hey Maricruz. Where's Sucre?" Sara asks, a little surprised to see her here without her fiance.

"He went with Linc and Michael to check out the situation at the school. How are things here? Are you doing alright?"

"We're doing fine. We're worried but we're watching the news here to see if there are any updates. So far we haven't gotten a list of who, if anyone, is missing. We just got an update that the fire has spread again and it's getting more than a little difficult to keep in control." The worry on her face was mirrored by the other two women in the room.

"I believe they'll be fine. Fernando always told me to have a little faith in him whenever he's gone. So I want to offer you both the same thing. Have a little faith. They'll be okay."

Veronica and Sara smile. Maricruz was right. They needed a little bit of faith right about now. "Thank you Maricruz." They both said.

Lincoln, Michael, and Sucre all made it to the car and made their way as swiftly as they could to the school. Trying to make sure that Lincoln doesn't go crazy, Michael tries to make sure that he calms down. He knows that the situation may be bleak, but he can't do what he's doing if he wants to rescue his sons in the fire. Lincoln drives fast but stays within the law. There was nothing on his mind but his sons' safety. The only voices that could help him now were theirs and Michael's.

"Did you try calling them on their cells?" Sucre asked. Lincoln finally drives into the parking lot and everyone gets out. They rush across the street and get to the front of the school. As they look around, it was an endless sea of students, parents, teachers, and school faculty members.

"LJ! Jake!" Lincoln yelled out in the crowd. He starts snaking his way through the crowd, looking around for them. Remembering the resemblance of the crowd to the riot in Fox River, he continues yelling out their names.

"We didn't try because they may have put their cells in their lockers during class. But you're right Sucre, I'll call Sara and Veronica and ask them to try." Michael takes out his phone and calls Sara. He gets a busy signal. He tries Veronica's cell but that one was also a busy signal. "Damn it."

"I'll call Mari and see if she can get them to do it." Sucre takes out his cell and calls Maricruz. This time, he gets through to her.

"Hello?"

"Maricruz, baby, can you do us a favor?"

"Sure, anything Fernando." She grabs a pen and paper in case of a long list. "What is it?"

"Can you get Sara and Veronica to try calling LJ and Jake? We're trying to check the crowd for them. But so far, Linc and Michael haven't seen them."

"Oh that's what we're doing right now Fernando. We're trying to do what we can here. Oh wait I just got more on the news." Maricruz watches the news as Sara and Veronica try hard to get a contact on LJ and Jake's phone.

"We've just received a list of students who are believed to be missing. If you recognize any of the names listed, please call the number on the screen for further information and inquiries. We ask that you please try to remain calm as the authorities do what they can in this dire situation."

"Damn it! Tell us the list!" Maricruz yells. Sara and Veronica hang up the phones and go see what's going on.

"Is everything alright Maricruz?" Veronica asks, hoping she's not going through the mood swings of her pregnancy.

"Yeah I'm alright. This stupid news reporter isn't hurrying up with the information!" She yells in anger at the TV.

"Take it easy Maricruz. You're going through your mood swings right now in your pregnancy." Sara said. She and Veronica manage to calm her down after a good few minutes.

"Hello? Baby?" Sucre asks on the phone after hearing everything on the phone.

"What's going on over there?" Michael asks his friend. Lincoln was still searching for LJ and Jake. He climbs on the flag pole, trying to find any sight of them.

"I think Mari is going through her mood swings in her pregnancy. She was yelling at the TV for a good few minutes." Sucre reports to Michael.

"Hello?" Veronica took the phone from Maricruz while Sara works on getting Maricruz to relax. She knew it wasn't good for the baby.

"Hey Veronica. What's going on the news?"

"Well on the news, they just got a report of the missing students. Also they found out what started the fire."

"What started the fire?"

"It was a C4 explosive charge planted below a Chemistry room. After questioning the Chemistry Teacher thoroughly, they found out that he was a well-credited teacher. He was exceedingly careful in what the students were using. He watches them closely to nullify any chance of incident."

Michael asks the phone from Sucre after he reported to him. "How did they get a C4 charge planted below the Chemistry room? And why that room?"

"We don't know Michael. I can only assume that the purpose was to make it look like it was a chemical incident. Oh wait, we just got a report of the kids missing. Hold on." Veronica listens to the TV reporter. She reports the missing names of the students. She slowly gets down the unorganized list while Veronica listens for the two names.

"Oh… my… god…" Veronica muttered to herself.

"What?"

"LJ and Jake. They're missing." She tells Michael. "Hey I'll call you back Michael. We're going to go to you guys but watch on the outside. Sara suggested that if we go to the school and watch to see if they bring out the missing students, we can tell you guys."

"Wait what are you getting at?"

"I know what you guys are planning after hearing this. And I'm sure as hell we can't stop you, so we're going to help." Veronica said. "Talk to you soon. Bye Michael. And tell Lincoln that he needs to calm down. I know he's going crazy trying to find them. But he can't find them if he's not in control of himself."

"I will Veronica. I'll make sure of that."

"Take care Michael. Be safe." She hangs up the phone. Michael does the same on the other end. He passes the phone back to Sucre.

"Sorry for wasting the minutes on your phone plan."

"You didn't waste the minutes on my plan, Papi. You know that Verizon commercial? Well I have her on my five!"

"Who are the other four?"

"Uh… haven't really decided."

Michael chuckles in the midst of all of the pandemonium going on. "You haven't changed a bit buddy. Thanks for the laugh. I needed it."

Sucre puts his hand on Michael's shoulder, reminding them of their great, if not uncanny friendship. "Let's go tell Linc." The two of them try to go through the crowd to get to Linc, who is now being surrounded by police for climbing on the flag pole.

"Sir, you need to get down from there and calm down! We're trying our best here and you're doing nothing to help!" One of the policemen yelled up to Lincoln. He looked like he was the lieutenant in charge. Michael and Sucre catch up to Lincoln after finally breaking through the crowd.

"I don't care! I need to find my sons!" Lincoln yells down.

"Linc, get down from there! LJ and Jake are still stuck in there!" Michael yells to his worried brother as he looks up at him.

Lincoln climbs down and the police back away, finally realizing who they are. They had every right of mind to cuff him and send him to jail, but the lieutenant stops them. "Everything is fine here guys. Leave them alone and get to keeping this crowd under control."

"Yes sir!" The team splits off in several directions. The lieutenant leaves them alone and gets back to work.

"They're still in there?" Lincoln asks Michael.

"Yeah. Veronica told me everything on the news. Now what we need is a plan of action if we're going to get them out of there."

Lincoln looks at the burning school. "This crap just got real man."

Michael, also worrying for the safety of his nephew and soon-to-be foster nephew, comes out with a plan after looking at the school. He explains it to both Lincoln and Sucre and the three of them split off from the area and head into the school without the cops or the firemen knowing.

LJ and Jake were buried under burnt wood and ashes from the ceiling. Finally waking up, LJ gets out from under everything. Rubbing his head, he sees that he has a few extenuating injuries as well as a few on his arms. He tries to find Jake.

"Jake! Where are you?"

"Under here! I need help!" Jake pushes his arm out from under the wood. LJ goes there, dizzily, and helps Jake get out from under the wood. Both of them black from the ashes, they sit down for a moment, trying to catch their breath and to let them calm down from the situation at hand.

Jake coughs after realizing the amount of smoke surrounding them and in the building. "We need to get out of here if we're going to live. The fire has already spread throughout the school."

"Alright. Can you walk?"

"No. I can't. I think that explosion might've gotten to my left leg slightly. I'm lucky that my stitched wound didn't open again."

"Okay, give me your arm." Jake puts his arm over LJ's neck and he stands up. The two of them start walking out, hoping to find a safe way out.

Walking through the burning hallways, throughout the intense situation, the two of them manage to calm down through it and keep a relaxed mind.

"This is the second time."

"What?" LJ asks, looking at Jake.

"This is the second time you're helping me. And this time, we're both injured. I want to return the favor when the time arises."

"Think nothing of it." LJ smiles. "You're my brother and that's not going to change."

"Do you think this reached the news?"

"Something this big as to a burning school? I think so."

"That means we'll be seeing dad soon, if we get out of here alive." A piece of burning wood falls from the ceiling; unsuccessfully hitting the two of them, but effectively blocking the path in front of them. "We can't continue this way. Turn around. There are about three more ways we can try. We just need to find an emergency exit door."

"Or we could jump out of a window."

"If we could, we should've. But when I looked at all these rooms we passed through, the windows were all blocked off."

"Well if we see an unblocked window, we're jumping."

Jake laughs at the suggestion. "Well you're going to have to throw me and that's a lot of fun for you. Not sure if I'll find it fun if I crash into something else on the way out."

"Well at least I'll have fun. And that's a way that you can pay me back for the times I saved your ass."

"Not sure if I'm loving that whole "throwing me out the window" suggestion anymore."

LJ laughs. "Well, let's turn around and find another way out." LJ helps Jake turn around and the two of them walk back down the hallway, avoiding anything that falls their way.

After getting through the hallway, they're at a junction.

"Should we go left, straight, or right?" LJ asks.

"Left, go left. There should be an emergency exit at the end of the hallway."

"Alright." The two of them walk slowly left. But a gunshot is heard from in the distance.

**Chapter 14: A Hunt in the Sea of Fire Pt. 2**

LJ falls to the floor, bringing Jake down with him. LJ was shot in the back of the shoulder. He grunts but couldn't move. Jake stares in shock at LJ, who was bleeding from the wound. He turns around and looks at where the gunshot came from. He sees two guys and a familiar man.

_Oh crap. It's Lionel, dad's closest lackey._ Jake stares in fear at the three men slowly approaching him. "You son of a bitch!" He yelled from the distance. He looks back down at LJ, who was starting to hyperventilate. The two men and Lionel approach him. Lionel arms the gun and points it at LJ. "Wait! Leave him alone! He has nothing to do with this!" Jake grabs his arm and stops the gun.

The other man, the one who triggered the C4, stops Lionel. "Don't kill him." Lionel looks up at him in disgust. "Let him bleed to death." Lionel smiles and grabs Jake. Jake tries to struggle, but Lionel hits him in the head with the butt of the pistol and then stuffs him in a large brown bag. They drag the bag on the floor, Jake knocked out completely from the direct blow to his head.

*---*

Lincoln, Michael, and Sucre successfully sneak into the burning school, covering their noses with their shirts. They start running around, reaching a junction. Stopping at the junction, they look around and decide where to go.

"Michael, which way?" Lincoln asks.

Michael looks left, right, then straight ahead. All directions were the same; it was all burning wood, lockers, and they seemed to lead straight down to other junctions. Michael rubs his head with his hand and starts to think about where it would lead them.

"Look out!" Sucre shouts as he looks up. A piece of burning wood falls to the floor, separating the three of them into the three paths. Lincoln forced to go straight, Michael right, and Sucre left.

"What do we do now?" Sucre asks.

"We split up from here. Call if you see them or if something comes up." Michael tells Sucre and Lincoln. They both nod their heads and run off in their separate directions.

_Don't worry guys. We're going to find you._ The three of them thought simultaneously as they ran through the hallways. Each hallway was the same; there were things burning and there was smoke all over. The fire department's attempt to keep the fire down was futile as the fire kept spreading throughout the school. At the rate the fire keeps burning, the school would be burnt down fully in about an hour. Time was short and the three ex-Fox River Inmates had to hurry, otherwise all of them would be burnt alive.

Sucre runs through his hallway, finding that the paths were blocked left and right and that his only choice was to continue going straight. He passes by several rooms and looks inside each one, yelling for LJ and Jake. It seemed as it was a moot point searching in each of the rooms as the fire engulfed each and every one of them. _We're never going to find them. This place is starting to burn down completely._

Sucre walks to catch his breath. He starts coughing from the lack of oxygen in the place. He looks straight ahead, with the sweat beads dripping down from his forehead. Wiping the sweat off his face, he looks ahead and sees a silhouette on the floor. Trusting the feeling in his gut while dreading it at the same time; he walks over to the figure on the floor and takes a look at it.

_Oh my god!_ _LJ!_ He picks up LJ and rushes him out the door in the same direction that LJ and Jake were planning to use. Running as fast as the speed of light, he breaks right through the door and sees the firemen and the police right outside. Coughing, he brings LJ to the medical van. Sara, Veronica, and Maricruz run up to him.

"Oh my god, are you okay baby?" Maricruz asks Sucre as she kisses him repeatedly on the lips as if they were separated after many long years. She suddenly slaps him on the face. "Don't ever do anything too dangerous again!" She angrily says as she points her finger at him.

Sucre, feeling confused at the hit, smiles at her and she smiles back. "Look, go with Sara and Veronica in the medical van. Watch over LJ. I'm going back to help Linc and Michael."

Maricruz kisses him on the lips again. "Okay." Maricruz gets in the van with Sara and Veronica and they shut the door behind them. The van drives off immediately for the Swedish Covenant Hospital nearby, the same hospital Jake was admitted into several times. Sucre starts to rush back inside, but this time, the police lieutenant stops him.

"Thank you for saving one of the kids Mr. Sucre. But we can't have you going back in there. You need oxygen man." He directs Sucre to the fire truck. Sucre takes in the oxygen mask but quickly takes it off after a few breaths.

"I need to go back in there. My friends are in there trying to find their other son, or soon-to-be son."

"I'm sorry Mr. Sucre. But you've done the best you can do and that saved a life. You're going to have to stay here, behind the lines. But really, I appreciate your help and I'm glad that you were out of Fox River when it happened." The lieutenant starts to walk away to direct his attention at the fire.

"Hey, what's your name lieutenant?"

The lieutenant turns around. "My name is Korvin McCannon." He turns around and then directs his attention on the fire.

Back inside, Michael runs straight, quickly able to see which rooms are completely burned down. He shouts for LJ and Jake continuously. He slips on the floor and slides into a locker. Grunting upon impact, he sees that there was just a pile of burnt wood in front of him. When he tries to climb over, he looks ahead of him and he sees a group of people with a brown bag.

Jake wakes up inside the bag and starts to struggle inside.

"Let me go!" He yelled inside. Michael recognized the voice immediately. He looks around each of the men's features. Two of the men wore black beanies, black coats, and black pants. They were just black all over. Skin color was white. He looks at the other man, who was holding the brown bag. He had no hat or beanie, black hair, white skin, brown leather jacket, and blue jeans with black shoes. Figuring that the brown leather jacket man was the leader, he calls Lincoln, noticing that all three of them have guns. But before he gets the chance to call Lincoln, he quickly gets interrupted by a phone call from Sucre. His ringtone (which he cops a $350 fine for) goes off and Michael quickly picks it up, hoping that they didn't hear him.

"Michael. I found LJ and he's now being moved to the hospital."

"Oh thank god. Look, I found Jake, but it appears that the Mafia has him inside a bag. How's LJ? Is he hurt?"

"Well, he has gunshot wound and I think he lost some blood. He was still breathing when I found him so I rushed him right out of the school. He's with Sara, Veronica, and Maricruz. They're heading to the Swedish Covenant Hospital. Also there were some wounds on his head but I didn't have time to check if he was alright. Did you tell Linc you find Jake yet?"

Michael closed his eyes and then opens them after hearing news about LJ. He brings himself back to normal. "I was about to when you called."

"I can't head back in. The lieutenant won't let me. But he seems to be a nice guy. He's trying to keep control of the situation and he appears to not care that I'm an ex-con. Anyways, I'll let you call Lincoln. I'm going to wait out here for you guys. Talk to you later Michael."

Michael hangs up the phone and then calls Lincoln. He picks up. "Linc. Sucre found LJ. He's on his way to the hospital."

"How is he?" Lincoln stops running for a moment.

Michael was finding it hard to break the news to Lincoln. He didn't want him to worry too much about LJ. "I found Jake but the Mafia has them in a bag. I need your help to get him." Michael said in an attempt to avoid hurting his brother and to change the subject.

"Michael, tell me the truth. What happened to LJ?"

"Linc." That was the only word Michael could say. It was a word filled with sadness and regret. "LJ was- LJ was injured. He has a few injuries to his head and a gunshot wound. I'm not sure about the details of the gunshot."

Lincoln wanted to do nothing more than to race back and be right by LJ's side, but he knew that he couldn't leave Jake and Michael needed his help to get him. "Linc?"

"Thanks for telling me. I'll be fine. Just give me the plan." Michael knew his brother was hurt inside but gives him the plan instead. Michael tails behind the Mafia. They stop in the hallway after Jake continued to struggle more, almost making Lionel drop the bag.

"You know what boy? I'm tired of you making this hard for me." He drops the bag on the ground and starts kicking it. The other man joins in. The man who pulled the trigger on the C4 just stood there.

"Aren't you going to join in, Burt?" Lionel asks the man who stood there. "Or do I have to tell the boss about what you did?"

Burt, feeling forced to protect his kids, joins in kicking Jake in the bag. Jake doesn't grunt in pain because it's the same pain his dad inflicted upon him. He was used to it; used to the bruising; used to the pain. After a minute, they stop.

"Now I hope you learned your lesson boy." Lionel spites at Jake. He doesn't reply back.

"Leave him alone." Michael stood opposite of Lionel.

"Walk away now unless you want to die here." Lionel said.

"I suggest you leave the kid and go your own way." Lincoln said from right behind him. Lionel turns around and Lincoln punches him out. Michael jumps in from behind and knocks the other guy out. Burt was the last one standing. He sits down instead of letting Lincoln and Michael hit him.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone." He said. "I just wanted to get away from all this. They threatened to kill me unless I didn't let them use my talents. If you want to hurt me because I hurt your sons, you can."

Lincoln didn't care about Burt. All he worried about was Jake and LJ. So opening the bag, he lifts up Jake and carries him. He was knocked out from the beating he received. Burt helps Michael put the two Lincoln and Michael knocked out in the bag.

"You do know that I'm going to have to report this to the authorities. That you were a part of this." Michael says to him as Burt closes the bag.

"Yes, I know. But as long as I'm away from the mafia, I'm happy. There's a way out of here that we were planning to use. It's this way." Burt directs both Michael and Lincoln in the direction they were heading. They head into an electrical closet and go down a secret passage way.

"They were planning this all night. I didn't want to do this. I dreaded the very fact that I could've hurt innocent people." Burt said as he drags the bag with Lionel and the other mafia lackey in it.

"But you were willing to hurt my sons." Lincoln said as he carried Jake.

"What if you were forced to do something you didn't want to do and it was the only way you could get out of it alive?" Burt said to defend himself.

Lincoln walks up to his face. "You don't have a damn clue about what I've been forced to do." He said as he gritted his teeth. He walks away from him, knowing that Jake needs medical attention.

"Oh right, the famous Lincoln Burrows who was framed for the one crime he didn't commit and then gets off running from the country along with his brother and two friends for putting down the Company." Burt mocked him with his hands shaking in an up and down motion.

Lincoln was about to put Jake down and knock Burt in the face when Michael stops him.

"Forget about him. We need to get Jake to the hospital because we don't know what that explosion or the beatings did to him." Lincoln listens to his brother, calms down, and walks away from Burt, following the straight tunnel.

Michael turns around and looks at Burt. "You really have no idea what my brother and I were put through in those last four months. What you've been forced to do was nothing compared to what happened to us." Michael turns away and follows Lincoln. Burt, stunned and afraid of Lincoln, decides to trail behind a bit.

Finally approaching the exit, Lincoln pushes the door open and they see that they're behind the school. The light was brighter than usual after traveling through the dark tunnel. Hearing the sirens behind them, they travel along the side of the school. Their skin, clothes, and hair turned dark from the ashes that fell on them in the burning school. Burt keeps his distance but Michael approaches Lincoln, who was look at Jake's wounds. Michael decides to take a look as well.

They take a moment to catch their breath, gulping in mouthfuls of fresh air at a time. Michael noted the worried look on Lincoln's face, knowing he himself felt that same bout of distress twisting in his gut. He leaned to examine Jake's wounds closer, bringing himself next to his brother.

"Are you going to be alright, man?" he didn't look at Lincoln as he asked, his face was all the answer he would have needed

"I'll be fine, bro."

Michael knew those words were betrayed only the ashen look his brother portrayed.

"Linc, LJ's a fighter, he's a Burrows and he'll pull through this." He placed a hand on his brother shoulder, tearing his gaze from Jake's injuries to look at him.

"I know, Michael." Lincoln's voice was low, pained with emotion. "But that's not the only thing I'm worried about."

Michael waits for him to continue, the forlorn expression Lincoln help a moment ago was replaced with one of pure agony, as though his next words were simply killing him.

"What's wrong Lincoln?" Michael asks, suddenly more worried about his brother

"It's just, I don't know anymore, Mike, I just don't know."

"What don't you know Linc? You're not making any sense."

"Adopting Jake felt so right for such a long time. I just wanted to protect this poor kid, I don't know what it was about him, but I couldn't let him be hurt by his father anymore.

"I just," he takes in a deep breath, forcefully exhaling it. "I don't know if it's the best thing to do anymore. I can't risk the safety of our family, but I can't turn my back on Jake either.

"Lincoln, you don't have to turn your back on Jake to protect the family."

"Don't I?" he cuts in quickly, unable to see a way of protecting both his family and Jake without the threat of the mafia hanging above their heads.

"They're gonna keep coming after him and us until they get what they want. I don't want to have to look over my shoulder anymore, Mike. Haven't we had enough running and fear in our lives already?"

He turns his head so that he and Mike are facing each other. In them, Michael can see the pain just saying those words has inflicted on his brother.

"Lincoln, I know it's hard right now, but I know, as much as you want to protect this family, you don't want to turn your back on Jake. You've shown us that you care for him, that he's important to you as much as LJ is. We'll figure it out, bro. For now, though, let's get him to the hospital, he's got some pretty bad injuries on him."

They stopped talking, putting the conversation behind them for the time being. They couldn't know, however, that the very conversation was on a loop in Jake's very conscious mind, Lincoln's words of doubt running a frenzy within him and causing him more pain than all the physical injuries he had endured in his lifetime. He kept still, kept the charade of unconsciousness going and decided he would no longer inflict pain on the family he loved so much. He wouldn't drag them in to this anymore than they already were, getting them out while it was still possible for them to go. He would leave them, without a second thought, the moment he could go, he would run, far away and never look back.

Finally approaching the front of the school, the firemen help Michael and Lincoln get to the medical van. The ambulance officers help put Jake on the gurney as they pull him into the back of the van. Michael, Lincoln, and Sucre get in. But before they shut the doors, Burt approaches them.

"Mr. Burrows, this may not mean much, but as a way to ask for your forgiveness, I'm going to turn myself in and testify on your behalf. It's time I've gotten away from the mafia altogether and to make amends for the wrongs I have committed."

Taken aback by the comment from the man who nearly killed his sons, Lincoln could only say one thing, "thank you." They shut the doors and the medical van drives off for the same hospital that LJ was put in. The worst of the worst was finally over. At least they hoped.

**Chapter 15: Visions, Guilt, and a Note**

The moment they arrived at the hospital, the emergency center admitted Jake immediately and took him to the procedural room. Michael, Lincoln, and Sucre went to find LJ in the hospital. They head up to the receptionist who then redirects them to room 40 in the emergency room. Rushing immediately, they run into the room and find that Sara, Veronica, and Maricruz were all standing around LJ.

Each of the girls went to their men, hugged them, and kissed them like they had never had before. Veronica pulled away first.

"How's Jake?" Veronica asks Lincoln as she hugs him.

"How's LJ?" Lincoln asks instead to avoid the question.

"LJ will be fine. They had to put him in a medically induced coma due to the extenuating wounds on his head and the loss of blood from the gunshot wound. But he should be recovering fine and be able to go by tomorrow." Sara answered Lincoln after pulling away from Michael. "But what about Jake? How is he?"

Lincoln ignores the question yet again. This time, he walks away from everyone and then kneels at the side of LJ's bed, clasping his hand in tears. Everyone just watched and decided to give him some time alone by walking outside and closing the door.

"Why isn't Linc answering any questions about Jake?" Sara asks as she stares into the window.

Michael explained everything that happened inside the school. He explained the mafia attacks, his brother's reaction to it, and what he felt afterwards. Veronica, Sara, Sucre, and Maricruz were saddened by the details.

"Why would he even dare to think that he would turn his back on Jake?" Maricruz asked. "I thought he loved him just as much as he did LJ?"

"I guess he doesn't want to jeopardize our family because of the danger of being around Jake is. I'm tired of running in fear as well. But I don't want him to do this. He didn't want to budge at all." Michael explained thoroughly.

"He can't just do that to Jake." Veronica said. "Lincoln gave Jake hope and if he tosses him off to the side, who knows what he'll do this time. Finally when life seemed to get normal for Jake, it gets tossed to the side. I'm not going to let him do this."

"We can't do anything Veronica." Sara turned to Veronica. "It's all Lincoln's choice. I can't say that I agree because I don't, but I can say that I agree that I'm tired of being on the run as well. We're finally settling in and all this happens today?"

"Oh this stress isn't good for the baby. I'm sorry guys, but I think I need to go home." Maricruz said as she felt her stomach.

"No, that's fine Maricruz. You were a tremendous help today. You should go home with Fernando and rest." Sara said before she hugged Maricruz. Everyone takes their turns hugging both Maricruz and Sucre.

"Thanks. Well, we'll be in contact." Sucre said. As they walk away, Sucre turns around to Michael. He yells "tell Linc not to worry about the future too much. Worry about the now." Then turning around and walking out the hospital doors, both Maricruz and Sucre head home.

Veronica sighs as she looks into the window, seeing Lincoln in the same position.

"Let's get something to drink. I'm pretty sure everyone must be thirsty after what happened." Sara offered as she held Michael's hand.

Everyone looked into the window and then agrees. So they head to the hospital cafeteria.

*---*

It was nearly about two hours since they admitted Jake in. Lincoln was still kneeling in the position, thinking about what he said earlier and how he felt that he should always do the right things for his family. But so many questions came to mind. _Should I risk our family's safety and well-being for the sake of a boy who I barely know? What about what he'll feel if I told him? I can't see a way as both of these working out. How am I supposed to protect both of them? I can't do one without losing the other._

Jake happened to get out of the room early seeing as how the doctor's worked quickly on treating his wounds. He had his left leg casted and he had to be on crutches for another eight weeks. He stands outside the room window, thinking about what Lincoln said. It hurt him more than anything could. It felt like someone stabbed him in the heart and twisted the knife. _I even warned them. I warned them of the danger I was. And they didn't even heed my warnings until now._ Jake was starting to resent Lincoln more and more as he thought.

Clenching the handle of his right clutch harder than a wrestler, Jake wanted to hit something with his crutch. But he releases it and lets the tears flow out of his eyes. _I warned you! I WARNED YOU! I didn't want to get close to anyone because of the danger but you said you'd take care of me! But now I see it all. No one can take care of me. Not even my own mother. I'm meant to be alone. That's all I'll have in this world. Just myself. No one else. I don't need anyone. I don't need anyone…_

"_That's right boy. You don't need anyone else." Jurell's voice sounded as if it came from behind him. Jake turns around. He sees his father, standing there. "That is why you don't get attached to anyone or ask for help. You and I, we're nothing but loners in this world. That's why we lead the mafia. That's why you're the son who will take my place in the mafia. Now do you really want to reveal the mafia's true intentions?"_

"I don't need you! I don't need the mafia! I don't need anything!" Jake yells to his dad.

_Jurell laughs at that comment. "Well it's your choice boy. I hope you make good use of the life you have before you lose it before your very eyes. I will offer you this advice. Walk away from them. Walk away from them and you'll be fine and they'll be fine. You don't belong with them."_

Jake closes his eyes for a few seconds and opens them again. His father had disappeared. _Was he really here?_ He looks around and sees that everyone, even the cops were normal. His father was wearing an orange jumpsuit and no one seemed to notice. _Why the hell does it matter? He was right. I don't need anyone._ He turns to the window and puts his black hood up again. _I wish none of this had happened. I always put myself up there to be hurt._ A hand touches his shoulder from behind. Jake turns around and sees Michael, Sara, and Veronica standing behind him. Suddenly realizing his face probably is full of tears, he wipes his face off.

"Hey, are you alright?" Veronica asks.

Jake clears his throat. "Uh yeah, I'm fine."

"Why aren't you going inside with Lincoln and LJ?" Sara asks.

"Uh I thought they needed privacy, you know, son and father." Jake said quickly.

"Well you're a son of his too. Implied anyways." Michael said as he looks through the window.

"You know what I mean Uncle Mike. Blood son and blood father. I'm not a blood son. Just a foster kid."

"So why aren't you going in now?" Michael asks. He knows that Jake was stalling for some reason.

"I just wanted to give him privacy with LJ. I mean it is my fault that he got injured."

"It's not your fault Jake. Come on, let's go in and talk to Lincoln." Veronica suggested as she opens the door. Jake closes it.

"Jake, what's going on?" Sara asks.

Jake waits a few seconds. "I'm just going to go to the cafeteria to eat. Later." Jake departs fast on his crutches, leaving everyone in a state of confusion.

Michael opens the door and lets everyone in.

"How's LJ?" Veronica asks as she sits down in the chair.

"He hasn't woken up yet." Lincoln stands over LJ and doesn't even look in their direction. "What was the whole "opening and then shutting the door thing" about?"

"I don't know. Veronica just opened the door and then Jake decided to shut it." Sara said.

"Oh, he's already been let out?"

"Yeah. We ran into Dr. Nikki at the cafeteria and she said that he's been treated and that the injuries were just related to the bruising he received and that explosion to his left leg. Everywhere else is fine so he could go home." Michael stated as he sits next to Sara.

*---*

Everyone was pretty chatty, besides Lincoln until night came. Veronica and Sara got to know each other better and that brought them into this whole idea about doing a baby shower for one another if one had a baby. Michael joined in the chat but couldn't keep track about how fast Veronica and Sara kept switching topics. So instead, he just sat there in his seat, barely listening to the conversation.

"Linc." Veronica stood up to walk up to Lincoln as she pulls away from the conversation she and Sara were locked in. "I know that you want to protect LJ and everyone here. But I want you to know that you can't just give up Jake like that. It's not right. He trusts you and he knows that you are the one who can protect him."

"You told them Michael?"

"I had to. They need to know what's going on. I can't leave them in the dark. Even Sucre thinks that the idea is tantamount to asinine."

"Look, I can't protect both the family and Jake at the same time. Something's gotta give."

"Dad." LJ wakes up and touches Lincoln's hand as he wakes up.

"LJ, you're awake." Lincoln smiles and hugs LJ. When he finally releases, everyone takes their turn.

After everyone was done hugging him, LJ says "you can't just give up on Jake. He's a brother to me already and he's family. I don't care how dangerous it is to be around him. I mean I'm still here, right?"

"LJ, you can't be serious. You nearly got killed today."

"And yet, I'm still here dad." LJ sassed Lincoln (I know shocker). "I'm sorry for sassing you, but I really can't understand why you're about to give up on Jake. I mean you don't have to protect everyone dad. We can all do our fair share."

Lincoln smiled. He finally realizes that LJ was right. And he was more surprised to see that LJ has matured in his absence of raising him. "My boy is growing up."

"Yeah, well don't pinch my cheeks because if you do, I'm going to run."

"And if we sedate you to the bed?" Michael asks.

"Then I'm definitely screwed."

Everyone laughs. Then all of a sudden, the laughter ends while everyone looks around. "Hey, how long has it been since Jake went to the cafeteria?"

Everyone's eyes widely opened and they scrambled right out of the room. LJ couldn't move from his bed and had to stay there. _Damn it. _He thought.

Everyone besides LJ ran into the cafeteria. They look around and see that no one was there. "I'll be right back! I'm going to check with the receptionist!" Veronica said. She runs off.

"I'm coming too Veronica!" Sara follows her.

Lincoln and Michael look around the cafeteria to see if they could find Jake. After a few minutes, they suddenly realize he's not here.

"Do you think they got him?" Michael asks.

"I'm not going to think. I'm going to take out my phone and call the police." Lincoln takes out his phone and dials 911.

"Excuse me."

Lincoln and Michael turn around. "Hello." Michael said.

"Are you Lincoln Burrows?" The innocent, old lady asks as she walks up to Lincoln, holding a note in her hand.

Lincoln, holding the phone, gets picked up by the 911 emergency hotline. "Yes, can you bring someone over here to the Swedish Covenant Hospital? Jake Sienel is missing." He hangs up the phone. "Yes. I'm Lincoln Burrows. And who are you?"

"I'm just an old lady who has cancer and was talking to the boy who was eating here alone. He was writing a note and he told me that if you see a strong man with a shaved head and possibly dark from ashes, that I was to give it to him. So here you go." She passes the note in his hands. "He's a nice boy." The old lady walks away from them.

"What do you think it is?" Michael asks.

"I don't know." Lincoln opens the note and starts to read it. After spending about five minutes reading it, he sits down, trying to keep back his anger and frustration. Michael puts his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Linc."

**Chapter 16: Where Are You?**

-Three hours before the note-

Jake was sitting in the cafeteria, eating nothing but a simple sandwich and a carton of milk to get his mind of everything. Lincoln's words from the school still rings in his ears like a never ending song being sung but the most horrible voices that the world has to offer. _Should I tell him or should I just leave them in the dark? He probably wouldn't care anyways. So what's the use?_

He just sat there, deep in his thoughts, letting his sandwich get cold and his milk lose its cold temperature. He sighs, takes out a napkin, and starts writing something.

"Hello." An old lady approaches him with a tray in her hand.

"Hi." Jake said as he looked straight down at the napkin.

"Is it alright if I sit here?"

"Of course. Feel free."

The lady sits down at the table, eating her late lunch. It was about 5:30 PM and it was getting dark. She finishes eating and then stares at Jake, who hasn't even touched anything on his tray since she sat there half an hour ago.

"Aren't you hungry?"

Jake snaps out of his thoughts. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"You haven't touched your food since I sat here. Is something the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I thought I was hungry but I guess I wasn't."

They were silent for another couple of minutes. "I know that you probably wouldn't want to talk about it, but why don't you talk to me anyways. It wouldn't hurt and besides, it would make an old lady happy to speak with a kid like you. I'm going to be going soon."

Jake ponders on the thought for only a few seconds and then explains to her carefully as to what's been on his mind. The lady was listening intently to his story and what he was feeling. She thinks about the only advice she could offer.

"Well that's some problem you got there. But in my opinion, my advice to you is to do what you feel is right. If running away from them would keep them safe in your eyes, then do it. If you want to confront them about what you heard, then do it. I can't think of any way to change your mind. It's all your choice."

Jake thinks about what she said. _Doing what's right huh? I guess the right thing is to run away from it all._ "Excuse me, if you wouldn't mind doing me a favor?"

"Well you talked with me and that made me happy. So sure, tell me the favor deary."

Jake hands her the napkin with the note. "Give this to a man who looks like he's strong, has a shaved head, and could possibly be dark from ashes. Don't ask." Jake gets up, dumps his tray in the trash bin and starts to walk away on his crutches. He turns around to the lady who was still staring at him from the table. "Thank you."

He walks out the cafeteria and heads for the doors as night falls. He stops at the automatic sliding door and looks back. _Am I really about to do this?_ _Guess I can't go back on it now. _He closes his eyes and puts his hood back on. _I know you all probably would've stopped me from doing this, which is why I'm doing this alone. I'm sorry for ever thinking I hated you Lincoln. But I don't want to be anywhere where I'm not wanted or I'm going to hurt the ones I care about the most. I'm going to miss you guys._ _Good bye everyone. Thank you for everything._ He lets one last tear drop and then walks out into the cold, dark night.

*---*

-The next morning after reading the note-

Everyone was still in the emergency room. No one could sleep last night after reading that note. They felt terrible, Lincoln feeling worst after it all. Lincoln was up all night, deep in thought, wondering why the hell he said the things he did.

It was about 9 o'clock in the morning and everyone finally woke up. Lincoln was sitting in his seat with his eyes open.

"Damn it." He starts to grip his right leg hard with his hand in frustration. "Just when I thought things couldn't get worse and this happens."

"It's not your fault dad. Jake thought it was the best reason for him to be away from everyone, from everything. He wanted to protect us and the best way he could do that is to be away from us."

"That's not the point LJ. He heard what I said when we left the school and that pretty much hurt him more than what his dad could've done to him."

"Look, I'm not mad at you for what Jake did. I'm not mad at you for wanting to protect us. I'm willing to look past that. But I think that you were thinking too much and in the process of thinking, which by fact seems deadly now, you hurt someone."

"Linc, I know what you're thinking." Veronica said as she caressed his hands. "Go. Go find him."

"I can't just leave you all here. The police said they would look out all night for him."

The door flies open and Simon Tulley walks in. "Sorry to interrupt and I hate being the bearer of bad news." _Damn me for not being a higher ranked officer. _He sighs. "They couldn't find Jake during last night. I was out searching for about an hour and then I had to go home and sleep. So we had people take different shifts during the night to search but no one could find him. That kid's good. Must've been from all the times he had to hide when he successfully managed to sneak some food or at least hide from his dad."

"So what's going to happen now?" Michael asks.

"Well I'm not sure if this news is good or bad, but due to yesterday's events and the guy who turned himself in, your hearing date got pushed up to the end of this week."

"Isn't that good news then?" LJ asks.

"Well think about it LJ. Good that it got pushed up, but guess who's missing now." Simon stated as he leaned against the door. All of a sudden, Nikki shoves the door open and Simon gets sent flying to the floor.

"I always knew this door was trouble." She looks down at the floor. "Oh. Did I do that?" She asks as she points her finger at Simon, who was still on the floor.

LJ couldn't resist the temptation to laugh. He lets it out and everyone stares at him, letting him know of the situation at hand. "What? That was funny."

Simon gets up after his phone rings. He picks up and listens into the phone call. Right after, he says goodbye. "Well I'm glad that someone found that funny. Anyways, that was a call from an officer who was out there last night trying to find Jake."

"So?"

"Well he's nowhere to be found in Chicago. And if he took a public transportation out of Illinois, it would be out of our jurisdiction. The best you could possibly do is send missing person notices out to several precincts, although I'm not sure how that'd help you."

Hope was almost lifted out of the eyes of everyone in that room. They didn't really want Jake to leave and they really hoped that he hadn't taken any public transportation out.

"Nikki, is it alright we could take LJ back home?" Lincoln asks.

"Uh, you can in about an hour." She checks his head and then the gunshot wound. "He's healing quite nicely, almost as good as –" She trails off the thought, knowing that the next word wound put everyone in a sad state of mind.

"Thanks."

*---*

Jake groans as the sun hits his face in the morning. _Two hours of sleep last night. No idea what I'm going to do now. I have no cash, no phone, no connections. So much for running away. _He sighs and starts to shiver. _So cold from last night. This jacket didn't really help._

Getting up and starting to walk around with his crutches, he walks around the city aimlessly, with nothing in mind. He passes by the theater Lincoln took him and LJ to and remembers the fun time he had inside. He also passes by the burnt down school, which was now in the process of being rebuilt.

After walking aimlessly for an hour, he sighs again and starts to wonder if he'll ever get anywhere without any cash. _Maybe I'll go ask my mother for help. Ask for some cash of some sort._ He picks through his pockets, trying to the paper with her address on the hotel on it. _Ah here it is. Chicago Marriot Downtown Magnificent Mile, 540 North Michigan Avenue… Damn. That's going to take me an hour or two to walk there unless I can pickpocket some cash for the bus. Well, no way I'm going to Juvie this time because they'll know I'm there._ Jake starts walking for the hotel, minding his own business and keeping himself below the radar.

But what he didn't know was that there was someone following him.

*---*

Lincoln finally was able to bring LJ home at around noon. He helps LJ get into the car and after that, everyone piles in with Lincoln driving again. They drive home but continuously look out the window to see if they could find Jake as they drove along. They looked for the obvious features, black jacket possibly with the hood up, crutches, and a cast on the left leg. But after 15 minutes of driving, there was no luck in finding him. They all sighed and went into the apartment.

Sara helped set LJ on his bed in a comfortable position. He needed a lot of rest. Everyone sat and stood around, some went to watching TV to get things past their minds. Lincoln still couldn't stop thinking and feeling bad for what he said as he walked out of the school. It was like a ring in his mind that would never go away. He finally lets it get to him and starts thinking about where Jake would probably go, thinking about the possibilities. He knew that Jake didn't have cash and his phone was probably in the fire. He also knew that if he stole something, he would've been caught and that they would get a call from jail. Then he remembers Sammie's story and Sammie herself. Next thing on his mind was just Sammie. Sammie, Sammie, Sammie.

Finally it came to him. He grabs his keys and starts rummaging through the papers on the counter. _Yes! Here it is!_ After taking the piece of paper, he starts to bolt out the door when Michael stops him.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I know where he's going. I know where to find him." Lincoln attempts to ditch Michael at the elevator but Michael stops him again.

"Let me come along then."

"No. You stay here with Sara, LJ, and Veronica. I'm the one that has to find him. I have to set things straight." Lincoln gets in the elevator when it comes up.

"Just call if something comes up then." Michael gives his brother a quick hug then gets out of the elevator.

Lincoln, standing in the elevator, full of hope and faith, thinks about what to say to Jake. He was talking to himself in the elevator and when someone came in, they were just standing there, listening intently to what Lincoln was saying to himself. He didn't know that it was an Australian man. _What the bloody hell is he talking to himself for? Crazy Wanker._ That was going through the mind from the man from Australia.

The elevator reaches the main lobby and Lincoln storms right out of the elevator. He nearly crashes into the sliding door, but successfully stops himself and heads into his car. The car starts successfully and Lincoln drives off, hoping to run into Jake.

*---*

It took Jake an hour to get to the hotel walking on his crutches. He was freely offered some rides there because some people felt bad about his condition, but he declined because he couldn't trust anyone. It was too much of a risk to know that anyone could be part of the mafia. He walks into the nice hotel and sees the lobby. Taking a moment to take a look at the inside, he was amazed that his mother could afford such a hotel.

The lobby had red carpets with yellow stars lined like stripes. The curtains were also red, but slightly a different shade. The front desk was built beautifully in a semi-circle with finished wood. There were sofas left and right. It formed groups of their own that allowed people or families to sit there. After taking a look, he walks up to the front desk and the receptionist comes up to him.

"Hello, how may I help you?" She asks with the kindest voice possible and a welcoming smile.

Jake couldn't help but smile as well. "Hi. I'm looking for Samantha Keeley. She told me that she was residing here for the time being."

"Oh. May I ask what your name is?"

"Jake. Just Jake."

"Okay. One moment. Let me check the itinerary." The kind lady sits back down in her seat and takes out a binder. She looks up the name and then frowns when she looks up at Jake again. "I'm sorry. She isn't here. She hasn't checked in since the day before yesterday."

Jake frowned at what he heard. He started to think that maybe she didn't think that he didn't accept her back fully. _I'll promise that I'll be back tomorrow. I really want to get to know you Jake. I know I can't be a mother to you, but at least I get to know my son for who he is._ Those vivid words sounded strongly in his head. His mother's promise that she'll be back tomorrow, and she didn't even show up at the hospital. He trusted her to a certain extent. "Thank you." He smiles back at her and then walks away.

After walking out the door, he sees someone with a trailer attached behind their truck. He figured that they'd go camping or something. The trailer reminded him of his cruel father and the cruel beatings. _Son of a bitch! _He realizes that she didn't disappear because she didn't think that he'd accept her. Jake rushes in a straight direction, knowing what he's going to do.

A car was slowly following behind him, but there was traffic and it was hard to keep track.

*---*

Lincoln took an hour to drive to the location on the piece of paper. He knew the back routes and where to avoid the traffic during the late afternoon. Lincoln storms right into the same hotel Jake was in and heads to the receptionist.

"Hello. Is Samantha Keeley here?" Lincoln asks in a rush.

They lady knew exactly what to say. "I'm sorry, but she hasn't checked in since the day before yesterday."

"Oh." Lincoln lost hope again and frowned.

"But… there was a boy about 5 feet and 5 inches tall, sporting a black jacket. He was walking with his crutches and had a cast on his left leg. He came here looking for her about an hour ago. He left in such a rush after standing at the front door for a good minute or two."

Lincoln's eyes brightened up. He knew that Jake was still in the city and he was more surprised that he knew how to hide from the authorities. "Did you happen to see where he was heading?"

"He went out the door and headed right."

What could've been in that direction? He remembered the courthouse that he used to be held up in for the numerous times he was arrested. It wasn't too far from where he was at.

"Thank you." Lincoln rushes out the door and heads for his car.

The receptionist was left baffled by what was going on. "What the hell is going on? Does this woman have stalkers on her or something? But that man was hot… Wouldn't mind him stalking me any day." She was thinking about Lincoln in her mind, undressing him like he was at a strip club. She started drooling when a man walked up to her and snapped her out of her thoughts. She blushed out of embarrassment and helped him.

*---*

Jake made it to the courthouse in record time. It took him half an hour with no people traffic, although it might've been harder if he didn't have to pass by a gang. But he got successfully through unscathed. Jake walks slowly up the stairs to the courthouse and requests visitation with his dad, Jurell. The guards lead him to a separate room and Jake sits down, waiting for his dad to walk through the other end of the glass wall.

After waiting a few minutes, Jurell walks through the gates on the other end of the glass wall. He grinned when he saw his son sitting right there in front of him. Jurell sits down and waits for his moment when the guards walk away from him.

"I know you have her. Now tell me where she is." Jake said calmly as he looked at his father.

"Now what would make you think that the boss of the mafia would simply just hand you the location of the woman?" He said in his rough voice.

"I don't care if you're the boss of the mafia. I want the location of her now and I also want you to back off the Burrows and Scofield family. I'm away from them and you don't need to bother attacking them anymore." Jake kept calm, holding back his temper as he stares at the man who caused him problems in the past and present.

Jurell laughed at Jake. "You're the stupidest boy ever. It's a shame that you were my son. I was hoping for a little bit of a spark when I met you again. I mean if you had the guts to turn me in like what you did, you should probably be a little stronger now, you wimp."

Jake was stunned by the word "wimp." He heard it numerous times when he was being attacked by him. Jake was unable to reply to the comment and Jurell smiles.

"I knew it. You still are a wimp. All you do is cry to others for help. Do something else for a change and do it yourself. Hell, you could've turned me in a long time ago and I still would've been able to get you. You're in a hole now and no one is going to dig you out. Not your mother, not your friends, not even yourself. We're going to get you and it's only a matter of time until you're-"

"SHUT UP!" Jake yelled in a rough voice. The guards started to get involved but Jurell tells them to back away.

"Just shut up! I'm tired of you messing with me! I'm tired of you messing with others lives! I'm tired of everything! You ruined everything! I left the only family I ever cared about because of you! You and the freaking mafia! I never wanted that kind of life but you kept pushing it on me! And you kept beating me whenever I did something wrong! I'm tired of you!"

Jurell was left at a loss of words. He couldn't begin to fathom why Jake would suddenly burst like that.

Lincoln arrived at the courthouse five minutes before Jake started yelling. He stood behind the door, eavesdropping on the conversation between Jake and his father. Even he was astonished by Jake's reaction and his temper.

"I don't care about anything anymore! I just want to make things right." His voice got calmer. "If I can just make things right, I can finally just walk away from this all without all of this crap on my conscience."

_Make things right huh? I guess he still wants to run away without our safety on his mind._ Lincoln looks around and notices two odd men in black leather jackets. _Who could they be? Kind of weird to see two guys with black leather jackets… oh crap, mafia. And they're here for Jake._ Lincoln hides in a darker corner so they don't notice him here. He starts to originate a plan to get Jake safe from the mafia again. He continues to eavesdrop on the conversation at the same time.

"Dad, I know that someday I may forgive you. But until that time comes, I really do hate you. You've been forcing on me a life that I never wanted for quite some time and now it's no longer there, and I'm happy it isn't. So please, give me the location of my mother and leave the Burrows and Scofield family alone so I can just go on my own way."

Jurell, still at a loss of words, manages to successfully blurt out Sammie's location. Jake takes out a paper and writes it down. He stands up.

"Thank you." He said with a velvet voice. Jake walks out the door and the guards shut it. Lincoln grabs Jake and he starts struggling while gripping his crutches tightly.

"Shhh." Lincoln said to calm him down. Jake looks up and his temper flared. Lincoln keeps his hands on his mouth as he starts shooting off loud noises. He points in the direction Jake was heading and shows him the two mafia cronies.

Jake pulls Lincoln's hand off as he looks at the mafia cronies. "Damn it. What are you doing here?"

"Well, first was to find you. Now it's to rescue you."

Jake scoffs at the comment. "I don't need your help."

"What are you going to do with a messed up leg and crutches? Trip and then hope they don't shoot you? Come on man, get real. Look, I'm not here to argue with you. I know a way out so just let me help."

Jake thought for a few seconds. _Am I really about to involve him in my life again? He already hurt me once. Do I need to be hurt again? _He sighs. "So, what's the plan?"

Lincoln smiles and then takes Jake's crutches off his arms.

"Wait, I need those to walk."

"They'll make too much noise and add too much problems to carry. We can grab another pair at the hospital." Lincoln sets the crutches against the wall. "Look, I'll carry you-" Jake groans at the idea of being carried. "Forget about it. I'm going to carry you and edge us towards the hallway. We should be able to take one of the emergency exits and then make our way to my car. I know this courthouse like the back of my hand. I've been here too many times in the past and I know every trick there is to this courthouse."

"That's nice to know." Jake hinted sarcasm in his voice. "Now carry me before I regret the decision."

Lincoln lifts Jake into his arms and edges himself against the wall, hoping that the cronies didn't notice them. When they finally get into the hallway, Lincoln makes a mad dash for the end of the hall and turns right at the intersection.

The cronies start to wonder what could be taking Jake so long in the visitation room. They decide to take a peek at the window. As they look into the window, they see that the room is empty except for a few guards snoozing off during work. They look right and see the crutches against the wall. Realizing that Jake is making a run for it, they follow them down the hallway, splitting up and taking their handguns out.

Lincoln runs straight down the hallway and sees the emergency exit in a room to the right. He opens the door and tries to open the emergency door when Jake stops him.

"What?"

"If you set off the alarm, we could get in trouble."

"We're already in enough trouble as it is."

Jake looks around and sees a metal box to the right of the lockers. "Over there!" He points at the box. Lincoln takes a look at it and then elbows the metal box. He manages to dent it far enough and pulls off the cover.

Jake gets to work with the wires.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm hotwiring the door so that the alarm doesn't go off. But right now, I'm working with the security cameras so I can get a good fix on the hallway and the cops will see two men with handguns. They probably split up at the hallway."

"How do you know that they-"

Jake interrupts before he finishes the question as he works with the wires. "They're always prepared for any kind of mishap. That means guns, explosives, weapons. You name it. But they're not as professional as the people you guys call 'the Company.'" He finishes with the camera wires and the security sees two men armed. The alarm gets set off and everyone goes hunting for them inside. "Now the fire alarm." Jake says as he works with the alarm on the door. It took him a few seconds and the wires were done. "Alright, let's go."

Lincoln lifts Jake into his arms one more time and then shoves through the door. He sets Jake on the ground again and puts something against the emergency exit door. He lifts Jake into his arms one more time and races to the car. Jake sits in the passenger seat of the car and Lincoln swiftly turns the engine on and puts the car in drive. They get on the road, where they'll be safe.

Things start to calm down and the two of them begin to relax. Lincoln decides to break the silence with an apology.

"I'm sorry that you heard what I said. I don't know what I was thinking." Lincoln said as he looked at the road in front of him. "I know you're finding it hard to forgive me and all but-"

Jake interrupts rudely again. "Forgiving you is just the start of it. I trusted you with everything, but then you said what you said as you walked down the school with me in your arms. It would hurt if it came out of anyone else's mouth in the family, but when it came out of yours, it was like another stab in the heart. And a painful one at that. I don't know if I would want to go through that again." He said in a velvet voice.

"I know that, and I'm sorry."

"I understand your situation though. You can't just protect your family and me at the same time. It's too hard for a simple human being. There was too much for you to lose if you did both. So I made the decision for you. I left."

Lincoln sighs. "I didn't want you to leave. No one did. There was just so much going on after that incident in the school. I just had a hard time thinking about what I should do; how I should react. And it wasn't until that night that LJ woke up that he told me what I should do."

"LJ woke up? How is he?"

"He's fine. But look." Lincoln moves the car to a place to stop and talk. He didn't want to get into an accident. "I'm still finding it hard with our new life right now. I'm going to make a lot of mistakes but I don't want to give up on you or neglect my family. You are a part of the family. And I'm not going to leave you for anyone. So could you just forgive me for what I said as we walked out that school?"

Jake thought about it. _What's not to forgive? I'm the one who should be saying sorry for leaving him and the family. Especially with a retarded piece of paper. God I want to run over someone right now to get rid of my frustration… But I should forgive him. But this time, I'll be a little stronger this time. No tears, no sadness._ He sighs again. "I forgive you."

Lincoln smiled and started to move in for a hug when Jake stops him.

"But no hugging. Just in case you decide to go emo on me and then end up leaving me again with the decision. Don't think I need to go through the whole process of being hurt again."

Lincoln half-smiled at the thought of that. "Well at least you forgive me and…" He trails off as he wasn't sure that it was the right word.

"Trust you." Jake finishes. "I do forgive you and trust you. But I do not want to get too attached for the time being. At least for about a week or two when I'm sure that everything will be alright."

Lincoln chuckled and then started the car. They head for the Swedish Covenant Hospital and it started to pour. Jake fell asleep against the car window as Lincoln drove. Lincoln looked to his right and looked at Jake. He appeared completely innocent in his sleep and Lincoln couldn't help but feel happy that everything was going back to normal.

He parks the car under the roof of the front door entrance to the hospital. He goes to the front and asks if he could have another pair of crutches. After waiting for a minute, to his surprise, he sees Nikki bringing the crutches herself to him. She hands them to Lincoln and then looks in the car to see Jake asleep against the window.

"So you found him?" Nikki hinted a delighted sound in her voice. She was glad that Lincoln found Jake.

"Yeah. I managed to track him down after some time. I just happened to know where to go."

They spend a couple of seconds looking at him in the car window.

"It looks like he's… happier. Almost as if he was glad that everything's back to normal?" She wasn't sure if everything between Lincoln and Jake was back to normal. She knew the story about what happened with the two of them. It was like a big distortion between the both of them after the fire.

"He has forgiven me and trusts me again. So I guess that's a good sign. But he's back to being happy again. But love is possibly out of the question."

Nikki chuckles. "Well maybe that things are back to normal, I won't be seeing you back here any time soon."

"I wouldn't bet on it. Someone's going to get injured again and we'll be back here. This is like our second home from home."

Nikki lets out a sigh of happiness as she heads back for the emergency center. "Well, I hope I do get to see you guys more often. It's fun with you guys over here nonstop. If it isn't Jake, it's LJ. If it isn't LJ, it's Jake." She sighs once more. "Well, take care. And make sure he doesn't get hurt again."

Lincoln waves good-bye to Nikki. It was almost as if they were leaving a close friend from another place to go back to their own world. It was like they'll never see her again when things are normal. He sighs and then gets into the car as he sets the crutches in the back seat.

*---*

Lincoln gets back to the apartment in half an hour after driving. It was already late night and he completely forgot to keep Michael updated on the situation so everyone's probably worried by now. He grabs the crutched and puts them in one arm. He notices that Jake was still out and he lifts him in his arms as the rain pours down on them. _Heh, he doesn't wake up when the rain pours on him. Would've woke me up. _He goes to the elevator inside after being drenched in the rain.

After a minute, the elevator reaches their floor and Lincoln walks up to the door. He knocks on it and then hears noise from the inside.

"One second!" Michael yelled. He opens the door and sees Lincoln with Jake in his arms, crutches in one of his hands. He also notices that he's soaked from the rain. "Linc, get in. Jeez you must be cold from the rain."

Lincoln sets the crutches against the wall near the sofa. He gets help from Michael as he helps pull out the sofa bed. Everyone went to sleep early. He sets Jake on it and puts his head on top of a pillow. Michael grabs some covers and puts them over Jake to warm his body from the cold. Jake knew what was going on and opened his eyes slightly, but not wide enough so that they couldn't see that he was awake. He edges the paper out of his pocket and leaves it in his hand. He sleeps again right after.

Lincoln dries off himself and drinks some hot cocoa. He and Michael sit at the table and start to discuss what happened. Lincoln told him what he did and how he managed to catch up to Jake. He even included what happened at the courthouse. Michael was amazed that his brother tracked down Jake and even more amazed that Jake could hotwire the courthouse security box in a matter of a couple of minutes.

"You should've let me come and help." Michael said.

Lincoln takes another sip of his hot cocoa. "Like I said, this was something that I had to do. And I did it. I set things straight with Jake and he's back with us."

"Well you had everyone over here worry because you never updated me as I told you to do."

Lincoln chuckles. "Sorry. I was just so busy trying to find him that I forgot what you told me."

"Well it's alright. Everyone went to sleep early. They were completely wiped worrying about you and Jake. Guess their minds got tired waiting for you that they thought they'd sleep it off and hope you'd be back in the morning."

"Well I'm back now." He drinks the remainder of the hot cocoa and then puts it in the sink. "So why were you still up?"

"In case you decided to come back at night. Someone had to open the door for you. You left in such a rush you forgot your house keys."

Lincoln checks his pockets. He could see that he had the car keys and his wallet, but no house keys. "Well I'll be damned."

"You would've been sleeping outside the door if no one was awake to open the door."

"Well it's not hard for me. Remember that time I lost my keys and you saw me sleeping outside the front door of my apartment?" Lincoln smiles.

Michael chuckles at that memory. "I can't believe you lost your keys four feet from where you were sleeping. You looked like an idiot on your front door."

"But that's the past now. But I still can't seem to keep my house keys with me."

"Which is why you're always with Veronica. She never forgets the keys." The two of them look over the counter at Jake. This time, they notice a piece of paper in his hands.

"What could that be?" Michael asks.

"I don't know." Lincoln and Michael go to where Jake was sleeping and check his hands.

"It's an address." Michael said as he holds the paper in his hands. "An address to what?'

"Wait." Lincoln tries to remember everything that was going on in the courthouse. _I got there to hear Jake yell at his dad. Then he went to a calm, velvet voice. After that, he requested… _"The location of Sammie from his dad and to leave us alone." Lincoln finished his thought out loud.

"Wait, Sammie was missing?"

"Remember what I said about going to the hotel where Sammie was residing? The receptionist said she didn't check in yesterday or the day before yesterday. I think Jake knew where he was keeping her."

Michael and Lincoln race to the phone and report the situation. They tell them to wait until the morning because they knew at night is when they're more alarmed.


	9. Chapter 17 through 20

**Chapter 17: Alex's Time to Shine**

My name is Alexander Mahone. I was the FBI agent who went after the Fox River Eight after being forcefully bribed by the Company to acquire and kill each of the members. I was successful in killing three of them, while one was set free. I became obsessed with catching Michael Scofield and his brother, Lincoln Burrows in that time. It brought me to so many places, New Mexico, Utah, Illinois, and even Panama, where I was arrested and jailed in the deadliest prison known to man, Sona. Since Sona, I finally realized that I wanted to get away from all of this, get away from the Company. But I knew that there was no way for me to get away unless I got rid of them. So I worked with the enemy I longed to kill, Michael Scofield. With me as the inside man, I got information out to him and together, along with Lincoln Burrows, Veronica Donovan, Sara Tancredi, Fernando Sucre, and LJ Burrows, we brought down the Company fully. I was exonerated of my crimes by the new President of the United States, President Emmett Cullen. Thanks to him, I managed to successfully go back to Colorado to see my family again and apologize for my actions. Michael Scofield, one of the greatest men of our time, was the one who had wished me luck. My family and I relocated to Chicago for a job that my wife was offered. I haven't told Michael or his brother, Lincoln yet. But I have been following their story. Now I'm involved in helping them from the inside yet again. It's my time to shine yet again.

*---*

It's been weeks since that first journal entry. I've been contacting my wife, Pam, back and forth, asking if she's holding up well in Chicago with Cameron, my little son. They've clarified that they're doing well and it's been killing me with this job I'm volunteered to do. But anything to help a good friend like Michael is worth it in my opinion and Pam thinks so too. I haven't bothered contacting him still because I know he has enough on his mind with taking care of that new kid, Jake Sienel, with Lincoln. It warms my heart to the fullest to know that Lincoln is trying to be a father to him as well as Michael, being the uncle.

"Hey! What are you doing over there Carl?" The man across from me asked.

"I'm just minding my own business here Kington. Go back to work. I'll be back to helping out soon. I'm still on my damn break." I said in a southern accent.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. Jurell Sienel is the mob boss of the Kyubor "Insurance" Company. I know that there's something deeper behind the Kyubor Mafia. If I can just uncover something soon, maybe I can relay this information to Michael. I've been working with Agent Lang from the outside. She seems to like working under me since our time chasing after the Fox River Eight. I asked her about it and all she said was that she needed to work with someone with a lot of experience and that I could give that to her. I shrugged when she said that but I didn't mind. I liked Agent Lang. She's very dependable.

Of course, being exonerated and then working for the FBI again had its downside. Agent Wheeler and Agent Sullens have been on my ass since I've started working again. They've been waiting for me to slip up. I've paid no mind to it.

Researching on Jurell though, was pretty interesting. I have never felt weirder than the life he grew up with and then how he forcefully imposed it on his son and then got rid of his wife. Lang said that there was a Private Investigator, Archie Ryan. I couldn't help but laugh at the name because it was the same one that was on Lincoln's fake passport a couple months ago. Anyways, Archie has been working with Samantha Keeley, Jake's mother, and located Jake herself. Lang contacted Archie and asked for whatever information he had from Samantha. I had to same story that was told to Michael so there was no point in relaying the same information from him. It's been hard working for these people though. They're practical slave drivers. They said that it was what they were told to do by the head himself. So I guess being a total ass runs in the family, well I couldn't say the same for Jake Sienel.

Agent Lang has been keeping tabs on the situation with the boy. She talks with a man called Simon Tulley and apparently, they've been dating. I guess I'm glad that my agent is finding happiness with another man rather than me since I love my wife and I couldn't bear to love anyone else besides her and my son, Cameron. To get back on topic in my head, Lang said that recently, there was an attack on the school that Jake and LJ were attending. I was about to run in there until I heard from her again that Michael, Lincoln, and apparently, Sucre, were the ones who went into the school and rescued them.

After that, I heard news about Jake's disappearance yet again. I felt bad for the poor kid. Almost felt like running up to Lincoln and knocking him in that head of his for what he said to the poor boy. I only got the news from Lang, who got it from Simon. But I later got a report from Lang again that Lincoln located Jake, rescued him, and the two of them managed to get two more of the mafia arrested. Maybe I should hire Lincoln to work under me. But that idea is dim-witted since the man still hates me for killing his father, which I have regretted dearly since I parted with Michael. I want him to forgive me and bring up a stronger friendship between me and the whole family.

Since then, after that phone call to the police, I've been in that warehouse, trying to locate Samantha Keeley and rescue her while keeping myself hidden as one of the mafia workers. Finally its early morning and I knew that the police would act soon to surround the building, so now is the time, the time to shine yet again.

"Yo man! Come on! Get to work you lazy buffoon!" The boss of mine was yelling at me again.

I sighed and closed my journal. "Alright I'm on it!" I yelled back in a rough southern accent.

Acting is just terrible. It's easier to be myself, cool to be me flake. I chuckled at the thought and got back to work.

*---*

Lifting cargo is a pain in the neck, literally. My boss has been on my butt and I wonder what it would be like if he crossed paths with Agent Sullens. I could imagine it now, the two of them yelling at each other trying to tell one another to do something. I sighed and finally got my break again. This time, I'm going to locate Samantha now.

"Hold up!" Another one of the workers yelled. "We have a hostage that we need to bring in here!"

Yes! It was her! Finally! Maybe this'll be easier done than said for a change. I walked over to see who the hostage was. Everyone stopped what they were doing, even the bosses. They didn't care that no one was working. They wanted to see who the hostage was. These people were the true mafia, not the unsuspecting people who didn't know that they were working for the mafia.

They pulled out a chair with a woman strapped into it. She had blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and almost a face carved by the angels. She was gagged and her hair was a mess. I could see tears in her eyes and dreaded the fact of what these men are capable of. Everything went in my mind to the possibilities of what the mafia did to her. It ranged from rape to abuse and everything in between. All the men were cheering on the people bringing her in.

"Yeah! Hey honey! How about we have a little go in the bathroom?" A man with a rough voice yelled.

"Strip her off!" Another man yelled. Everyone was cheering them on and it was hard to keep my calm self down and not take out my gun and shoot these people.

They people bringing her in didn't listen to their orders as they had orders from above that no one could harm her or touch her. I was relieved by the fact that they did that. They brought her in and moved her up several floors in the warehouse. I tailed them quietly in the shadows, making sure no one saw me as I disappeared from my work.

*---*

Tailing the men wasn't hard, but keeping in the shadows to avoid being seen was a more difficult feat than intended. It was a good thing that I learned how to stay calm in situations from my training in the special ops. After reaching the floor they set her in; I looked around to see what they were wearing, the people who were guarding her. All of them wore black leather jackets and some wore sunglasses. Two men stood beside Samantha, guarding her while she put her head down to avoid showing any signs of pain or agony.

I stood in the shadows, waiting for an unsuspecting guard to walk by. It didn't take too long. A guard walked by and I grabbed him by the mouth and knocked him out swiftly. I've taken it upon me to not kill anyone because I didn't want it on my conscience anymore. Not that hurting anyone was any better, but I'd say it was a step down from killing. I took his leather jacket and his sunglasses. I put them on and fixed my hair a little bit so I looked different from the man who was supposed to be working downstairs.

I walked up to the two men guarding her. It looked like everyone around went on a break so that was a relief.

"Hey, why don't you two guys take a break? I'll watch over her." I suggested to the two men.

They shrugged. "Why not? I'm not being paid as much as I should be anyways so I'm going to take advantage of every break I can take." The guard without sunglasses on the left said.

The guard on the right looked at me. "You know, you look very familar."

_Oh shit. I hope he doesn't recognize me. _I prayed in my head and hoped to god that he doesn't put a finger on me. "Nah. There's no way you could've portrayed that Alexander Mahone guy." He chuckled and put his hand on my shoulder. "Relax man. You look like you're about to shit yourself."

I faked a chuckle. "Well you got me good!" I said in a cheery voice. Thank god they didn't really think I was who I was.

"Hey, let's go man. I want to get something to eat at Mickey D's (McDonalds)." The man on the left suggested.

"Alright, let's go." The two of them walked away, which left me and Samantha in the room.

Samantha looked straight at the ground.

"Your son is alive." I reassured her, breaking the silence.

Her head picked up and she stared at me. I took off my sunglasses and she instantly knew who I was.

"Alexander Mahone!" She yelled in excitement.

"Shhh." I hissed. "Don't be so loud. You'll blow my cover." I whispered.

"Sorry." She whispered back.

I went back and cut the ropes that held her. She stood up, fixed her hair, and then looked at me again.

"Thank you." She whispered back. "Now Jake is really alright?"

"Yes he is. I have an agent on the outside who's working with me. She's been keeping tabs on Lincoln and his family. Jake is still with them. I won't go into details. We need to get out of here. There will be another set of guards coming back soon."

She nodded and followed me to the stairs. We started walking down the steps and her legs started trembling. We only got down one flight of steps when I suggested that we needed to take a break to calm down her nerves.

She chuckled and took the suggestion. We sat on the turning point of the flight of stairs.

"So, why are you helping me out?" She asked in a curious tone.

"Well. After my family and I relocated to Chicago, I was trying to find out where Michael was currently residing. Then I came across the story about what they were doing. They got involved against the mafia thanks to that son of yours."

Her eyes narrowed at me. I was stunned and quickly said "not that your son did anything bad." I put my hands up in the air and acted defensively.

She laughed and I couldn't help but join in. "It's okay. I was kidding. But how is he doing?"

"Well thanks to what his father had his people do, Jake's left leg has been casted for two to three months. That explosion in the school nearly killed him and LJ." Her eyes started to despair. "But they're okay for now. The school is totaled but it'll only be a matter of time before it goes back up."

"Thank you." She said. "Thank you for helping me and letting me know what's going on with my son."

"I'm just curious." I started. "I already know that Lincoln loves Jake like another son, but how are you going to deal with him being around you all the time and-"

"I already told Lincoln I'm not getting in the way of their custodial hearing."

I was dazed by what she said. Why would she just hand the reins over to someone else? I mean I haven't been in Cameron's life for awhile until now, well not really now since I haven't been home in weeks, but still, I couldn't begin to fathom why she would just let someone else have her son.

"I know what you're thinking. But it's for the best. Jake would be able to be with the family he loves the most, but I'll still be able to be in his life. That's not exactly as I planned it. But it's a plan nonetheless. I just want him to be happy and I know he'll be happy with Lincoln."

Not as reassuring as I hoped, but I knew how serious Lincoln took his family. He would go to the ends of the Earth to protect them and I could probably say the same about Michael. I sighed. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. I'm better now." She smiled and then stood up. We started walking down the stairs for a few minutes when the alarm went off.

"Damn it!" I yelled. "Come on! We need to get down to the first floor as quick as possible." She gave me her hand and I took it. We got to the bottom of the stairs and I shoved open the door. I noticed that we weren't on the first floor, but on the third floor.

"Is this the first floor?" Samantha quickly asked.

"No. But I know the way down. Come with me!"

We rushed across the floor until someone spotted us. I was edging for my handgun but then I stopped myself. My conscience was getting the better of me and I felt like that was a blessing. We ran as gunfire was shooting behind us. We managed to get to the other stairs and we dashed down this swiftly. We avoided hanging on the inside of the stairwell. But the time things passed, we were on the first floor.

It didn't take awhile until we were surrounded. Our hands were up. I could feel the stress going to my head and the only way out of it was to use my handgun. I was about to reach for it until I heard a familiar voice from behind me. In a second, everyone else was surrounded. We were safe.

"Put your hands up and don't move." Lang said coolly.

All of the men surrounding us were disarmed almost immediately and I was relieved that I could live another day without killing another man.

*---*

I was outside with Agent Lang. We were hanging around the area for a bit before we decided to depart.

"So… how much information did you get this time?" She asked.

I sighed. "None. But I managed to get Jake's mother out of there."

"Yes you did. Uh…" She started. "I really have no idea how to break this to you… but…"

"But what?" I was bemused by what she was trying to say. What is it that she could want to tell me? "Did something happen to Pam or Cameron?"

"No sir… but…" She was overwhelmed by her thoughts. What I would do to be able to read minds.

"Come on Lang. Out with it." I demanded.

"Jake is on his way here. With Lincoln Burrows and Michael Scofield."

My eyes widened. The thought of running into the brothers again was petrifying. I stood there with my eyes opened, wondering what could happen now.

"I'm sorry Alex. I tried to explain to them that they should wait until she was in the hospital. But Lincoln wouldn't budge. One thing led to another and I yielded. Do you want to get in a car and drive away before they get here?"

Should I run away? Should I get away from meeting with Lincoln? Meeting with Michael again was one thing that I really wasn't afraid of, but what about Lincoln? Was revenge still on his mind?

"Sir?" Lang waved her hand in my face. "What do you want to do?"

"I'll stay here and confront them."

She smiled as if she was happy that was the choice. Then her face straightened. "Alright then." It was silent between the two of us until Simon came around.

"Hello Mr. Mahone. Glad to see you made it out in one piece." He said in a casual tone. He takes his hand out.

I shook it. "I'm glad that I can finally go home to my family now that my job here is done."

"Not quite."

I was exasperated by how he said those words. "What else do I have to do? I've been away from my family for weeks. I mean I volunteered for the damn job but I want to go home and spend some time with my son and my wife." I tightened my fist.

"Whoa. Take it easy. You can go home to your family. It's just that we're going to need you to actually show up at the hearing this Saturday. We need you to present the evidence against the Mafia along with Sammie-"

"Sammie?" Lang asks.

"She likes being called Sammie. I heard it from Lincoln or someone."

I sighed. "So we represent the evidence and that's it? I can finally go back to my family and not worry about this?"

"Yes."

Well that was a relief. Just a single hearing and I'm finally off the hook. Now there's just one more thing to take care of.

*---*

It didn't take awhile for them to show up. I was standing right next to the medical van Sammie was being treated in. She sat there next to me.

"I can see that you're worried."

I looked up at her.

"It's easy to tell what a person is feeling for me. I can tell when they're lying most of the time. I can also tell if they're telling the truth. It's a talent I picked up from over the years. And I know you're worried about meeting Lincoln. But pay no mind to it. He'll forgive you, especially since you rescued me."

"How do you know?" I was wondering how well she could read people. I know that you can read people from body language most of the time. I've analyzed body language thoroughly, but sometimes there are things I missed. I wonder how good she was at that.

"Well it doesn't take much to know that someone has a good heart. Lincoln would probably be willing to look past whatever you did in the past. I'm betting he will."

"Well then I'll bet against you."

She smiled and then I smiled. There was something about her. It was like she also brought out the good side in me like Pam did. I could tell that she and I would be good friends in the future.

It didn't take too long until I heard an unfamiliar voice yelling "Sammie!" We both turned in the direction of the voice and we saw a boy in crutches dashing as fast as he could towards us on them.

"Jake!" She jumped off the van with wide open arms. The kid rushed into them and hugged her. She was crying tears of happiness. I smiled for her. She was happy at least. It reminds me of what Cameron did when I came home to Colorado after being exonerated.

-Flashback-

_I let out a sigh of happiness as I walked to the front door of Pam's home on a Saturday afternoon. I was hoping that they were home because I never wanted to go back to mine. There was just too many bad memories there, memories that I wanted to expunge from the every corner of my mind. _

_I took my bags out of the taxi cab trunk and paid him what I owed him._

"_Hey, thanks bro! I hope you get what you're looking for here!" The Mexican driver waved to me and drove off._

_That son of a bitch reminded me of Sucre, except I actually liked Sucre's company rather than his. During that car ride here, he was just asking question after question that I couldn't help but answer them. I couldn't seem to keep my mouth shut either. Maybe I had an affinity for Spanish speakers these days. I could probably thank Panama for that._

_I took a few strides towards the front door of the house. I scrutinized the front yard of hers. It was beautiful. She had rose bushes growing under the windows, green grass, and perfectly trimmed hedges. I was hoping that my obsession for the yard in the past didn't get to her now. The yard reminded of how I wanted to be with her forever. I was apprehensive if she would forgive me for my actions in the past, for what I did to her and Cameron. If she didn't want me to come back, I would leave forever, never looking back._

_I sighed then rang the doorbell as I held my luggage in my hand. Here we go…_

_I waited about 10 seconds and then rang the doorbell again. I was eager to see Cameron and Pam so much that every second felt like hours. Just when I was about to ring the doorbell again, the door opened. And there she stood, my Pamela._

"_Alex." She said with a surprised tone. Cameron came running around the corner._

"_Dad!!" He yelled with excitement. He dropped the toy in his hand and rushed out the door into my arms. I dropped my luggage and lifted Cameron into my arms. I spun around in happiness as he giggled in my arms. I couldn't help but laugh along with him. I was happy again. I put him down on the ground again but he hugged my leg. Little ankle biter._

"_Dad! I missed you so much! Don't leave me again!" He said in his cute, innocent, but happy voice. I picked Cameron up in my arm again and then looked at Pam. She had a straight face. I couldn't tell if she happened to play poker in my absence and was using a poker face._

"_You know, I've been tired of waiting for you to come home." She said and then smiled. I put Cameron back down and Pamela rushed into my arms. We kissed on the front porch, pulling away to take short breaths. It was passionate. My lips caressed her lips softly and it never stopped._

"_EWWW!" Cameron groaned. Pam and I broke off our lip-locking session as we look down at Cameron. We all laughed and I was glad that everything was going back to normal. At least I hoped it was. But there was that one phrase Michael told me when I was worried about how things were going to go before we parted ways._

"_Just have a little faith." He told me. I guess that's all you need in the world these days, faith._

-End Flashback-

Watching both Jake and Samantha embrace one another was one more heartwarming experience for me. But then came the hard part that brought an end to the energy. Michael and Lincoln were standing across from me. I had no idea how Lincoln was going to react and I could bet that Michael was going to give me a "welcome back to Chicago and nice to meet you again" handshake.

Michael approached me first and stood in front of me. He gave me his hand and I shook it.

"Nice to meet you again Alex. And welcome back to Chicago." He smiled and I was feeling relieved that I knew someone else who would be residing here. And I also felt good to be right in my assumptions.

Then it was quiet. There was almost an ominous feeling to the air when Lincoln and I first locked in one another's vision. What was he planning? What was he going to do? Is he going to give me a beat-down for killing his father? Michael forgave me for that, at least I think he did, or he looked past it, but Lincoln hasn't come close to forgiving me. I guess I do deserve to get beat up. I'll just have to make sure no one arrests him.

Michael, Samantha, and Jake were looking at the two of us. Lincoln walked over to me. It was completely quiet, almost as if everyone was watching. But it couldn't have been that quiet since there were a lot of people moving in the background.

We looked into each other's eyes for a moment. I couldn't tell if Lincoln was trying to find something, like a fault in me, something that he could use as an excuse other than the death of his father to argue with me. I didn't know if I could flinch at all. Then all of a sudden, he took his hand out. I was skeptical about shaking it, but I did anyways. He half-smiled.

"Thanks Mahone. You saved Jake's mom and I'm grateful for that. But don't think that I've forgiven you for killing my father just yet. That's something that's going to take some time. Michael may have forgiven you-"

"I haven't forgiven him for killing Aldo, Linc. But I'm looking past that at the man who is capable of being a good friend to us." Michael interrupted as if he was trying to defend himself from what Lincoln was saying.

"Yeah, okay Michael. Anyways, consider this a mutual friendship. No bad energy or anything. Maybe, just maybe, I'll forget the past. But don't hold me to it. I'm still angry that you killed him, but I won't be angry at you anymore. So consider this a blessing and count it." He said with a straight face and tone. I knew he was no longer angry at me and he didn't beat me up, so that was a blessing indeed.

"Looks like it's a tie Alex." Samantha said from a distance. Lincoln walked over to her and Jake and started talking. Michael approached me.

"So, how did everything go with your wife?" He asked rhetorically like he knew that everything was alright.

"Everything's great Michael. Pamela forgave my erratic actions in the past and we're living together like a happy family again. We've relocated over here to Chicago because she had a job here as the journalist for the Chicago Newspaper. Cameron attends Wentworthville Elementary School."

"That's great man." Michael said with a low, cheery voice. "So why are you involved with the whole mafia case? I mean I'm assuming you are since you rescued Sammie."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I've been sort of following your guys' story through Agent Lang, Archie Ryan, and Simon Tulley. I knew that there was a problem rising with the Kyubor Insurance Company so I got involved and found out a lot of things. I pretty much know as much as you do, except I know how they treat their workers."

"So you knew that Lincoln is going to adopt Jake?"

"Yeah. Samantha-"

"She likes to be called Sammie." Michael interrupted again.

"Right, Sammie. I first questioned the reason as to why she would literally hand over her 14 year old son over to Lincoln. But then she told me that she didn't feel like she had the right to as she never was in his life that much. Lincoln was in his life more and she felt that he was the one who would be better for Jake. I'm still baffled as to why she'll still handle him over to Lincoln, not that there's anything wrong with Lincoln. But I could see what she means." Both of them look over at Lincoln and Jake. They could see that they were getting real close like father and son, just as it was with Lincoln and LJ. They were laughing and talking with Sammie as she went through the funnier parts of her life for the past 14 years. Lincoln kept his hand on Jake's shoulder and Jake put his head against the side of his chest.

"Lincoln would be a great father to Jake. Sammie would still be involved in his life too. I'm assuming that that's her plan."

"That is her plan. She wants Jake to be a Burrows, but she still wants to be involved in his life. She loves Jake and she knows that his happiness lies with Lincoln and LJ."

I chuckled at the thought of Lincoln taking care of another teenager. I knew Jake was graduating the same year as LJ but I also knew of Jake's capabilities. He'd be indispensible to the government for his talents. I looked at them again and I could see such a similarity in Jake to Lincoln and Michael. "Unbelievable."

"What?"

"I can see such a similarity between you and Lincoln with the kid. It's almost as if he never was a Sienel or a future mob boss. He looked more of a Burrows and Scofield. Brains, partial to good looks, strong mind, and even courage to do things that's right. So much like the two of you. If I didn't know his back story, I probably couldn't tell that Lincoln adopted him."

Michael laughed. "Well you probably got that one right again. You remember LJ right?"

"Yeah I do."

"Well Jake and LJ are too alike in many ways. Almost as if LJ met his long lost twin from another part of the world. You see, LJ is smart and also has the Burrows charm. He also has the traits that you described about Jake. The only big differences I could see in those two are the age difference, and maybe which one gets in trouble more."

"Oh right. LJ was arrested for the possession of pot and Jake was arrested seven times for stealing food, plus one more arrest for hacking into the government database. I was more surprised that the Company didn't get him when he did. Kid's lucky to have you guys and you're even luckier to have him."

There was a silence between the two of us until Michael decided to break it and join the conversation between Sammie, Jake, and Lincoln. I followed because I was interested in what the three of them could be laughing about. So I listened for about a good five minutes, laughed at some parts. It felt damn near uncomfortable with me and Lincoln laughing at the same parts. It was like two people of the same polarity near each other and pushing one another away. I guess it would take some getting used to with me and Lincoln. But at least he and I are trying.

"Hey Jake." I broke the conversation up for a bit. Everyone was silent and then looked at me.

"If you're ever looking for a job after graduating, I'd be glad to take you under my wing if you're willing to work for the FBI. Your talents in computers and all could be indispensible for my team."

Jake was surprised and his eyes opened wide. I guess he wasn't expecting that the FBI would hire a juvenile junkie. I could already tell that he'd have a hard time getting into a college or finding a job for that matter. Wiping the record clean is a tough thing, although everyone who was with us that day in front of the president was lucky to be exonerated of our crimes and our records be wiped clean. It was a brand new slate for us and we didn't want to screw it up.

"Uh… well…" He started to stagger in his sentence. He chuckles out of embarrassment as his face blushes a slightly red shade. "I'm sorry. I wasn't really anticipating that I'd get a job with the FBI after I graduated college with my record and all."

I could tell that he's finding it hard to take in everything all at once. The FBI would be more confused as to why I would hire an eight-time convicted juvenile junkie. I knew it'd take some explaining to do but it would be worth it. The kid is good.

"I think you should take it." Lincoln suggested. I was surprised Lincoln actually agreed along with me. That felt good on my back.

"Are you serious though? I mean my track record isn't exactly squeaky-clean. I already knew I was probably going to get a whack job after school ended." Jake asked as he was bewildered.

"If you really think I'm lying, how about I hire you now?" Jake's eyes widened more and then I had to resist laughing otherwise they'd think that I was a joke.

"Well… uh…"

"He'll take it Alex." Lincoln said for Jake.

"What?"

"Look kiddo, you're only get a once in a lifetime chance like this. Take the job. At least you'll have something to do rather than sitting around the house with LJ playing video games. The both of you would be hogging the TV when there could be a good game running on it."

Michael laughed. "So you're telling us that you want Jake to take the job because you want to hog the TV in case a football game comes up?"

"Well there's more to that. Maybe LJ might get bored and find a job to stall himself as well. But speaking of jobs… will this actually conflict with school and sports?"

"Nope. Not at all. School comes first. We can probably compromise a bit on the sports and work though. I'm a little bit easier now these days since, well, you know."

Lincoln smiled. "That's great man. Thanks." He shook my hand again. I guess that pretty much bridged some distortion between us. Not to mention that I finally have a better computer expert on my team along with Agent Lang and a few other operatives. I wonder how bad I'd get it from the guys up. Oh well. It couldn't be any worse than what I had to endure from the past four months.

*---*

It was approaching night again as I parted ways with Michael and Lincoln again. Sammie was taken to a nearby hospital, the Swedish Covenant Hospital. It was the very one that Jake and LJ were admitted to several times in the past. I gave my address and number to Michael, Lincoln, and Sammie. I also gave Lincoln the address of my new office. Jake looked pretty excited that he's getting a job with the FBI. So I'm great that that's happening. But now it's time for me to join my family again.

I drove into the car garage of our new home. It was a good thing that our house was sort of on the outskirts of Chicago. I wouldn't have wanted Cameron to have to walk to school in the city. The very thought of that made me want to actually get him his own chauffer to make sure he would get to school on time and home safely. But he gets to catch the school bus so that's one worry off my back.

It's been three weeks since I've been home and I'm wondering if Pam is thinking that I'm ditching on the family again. God I hope not because I couldn't stand not being here day by day.

I walked up to the front door and then knocked on it. It took only a second this time because I saw Cameron looking out his window when I walked on the pathway. I could hear his footsteps rushing down the steps.

"Cam, slow down!" I yelled from outside. "I don't want you hurting yourself bud!"

I knew he ignored me because by the time I finished yelling, he pulled the door open and rushed into my arms again. I kissed him on the forehead as he giggled in my arm. Pam put down what she was cooking and ran to the front door. She let me through and I put my briefcase on the sofa. We kissed passionately again but it was shorter this time. She had to get back to cooking. I went upstairs to our room and put my briefcase on the desk and then took off my jacket.

After doing so, I walked back downstairs to help Pam with the cooking. She was making spaghetti this time, Cam's favorite.

"I had a feeling you were coming home today so I knew that maybe I'd cook Cam's favorite in celebration that you're coming home since you've been away for three weeks."

"Ah, so you've been watching the news."

"Actually, I've asked Lang to tell me everything since I knew that you'd be undercover or something. She was happy enough to comply and give me the story. I didn't bother writing it down because I knew that it would be bad to actually put this in the newspaper. But she called and told me that you were off the hook already and that you just had to go to a hearing on Saturday to present some evidence with the victim."

"So do you know the whole story or just what news about me?"

"Uh just about you. Why?"

I took the time to explain everything that I knew from the first day of the week that I had to go to the end of the three weeks. I brought up Michael and Lincoln's part in this as well as their family.

"Oh wow. I didn't know that all that happened this week." She was surprised as she started putting the spaghetti on the plate. "That poor boy. I'm really glad that he's with…"

"Lincoln."

"Right, Lincoln. So that means you ran into them today?"

"Yes. And Michael and I got back to being good friends and I think I became friends with Lincoln. Not too sure after the whole story I told you about in New Mexico. But he seemed to be glad that I offered to take his son under my wing for the FBI."

"I hope you know what you're doing Alex. Wait, that was stupid of me. Of course you do! You're hiring someone who could help you with everything."

I chuckled and then kissed her on the lips. I took the plate of spaghetti and let Cameron help me set the table for dinner.

*---*

Dinner was great and I was happy being with my family again. I helped Pam wash the dishes after eating and we talked a little bit more before she got tired and went to sleep. I followed her to the room about fifteen minutes later and saw that she was asleep. I went into the bathroom to wash my face off and change into nightwear and morning clothes. I sat on the bed for a bit and then lied down. Things are finally going back to normal and I'm glad too. I haven't seen normal for days and I think I've earned it. I sighed and then drifted off to sleep.

**Chapter 18: The Hearing**

On Friday, Lincoln took Jake to Alex's work place to begin his internship as the junior computer technician; the job Alex had promised him the day they found Sammie. It was unnerving for him to be there, surrounded by so many feds that had, for so long, been working against him. It was uncomfortable for him, to say the least, feeling as though their eyes were always trained on him; waiting to arrest him for some heinous crime he hadn't committed.

But he continued going around Alex's place, wanting to ensure Jake was safely with Alex before he left him for the day.

Jake was feeling more than a little nervous on his first day, afraid he may stuff up and give Alex reason to regret hiring him. However, after Alex had him show off his skills to the rest of the team in his office, his fears subsided and his confidence soared. He could see how excited Alex was as he showed off his skills to the rest of the team, who had been more than a little skeptical with his arrival.

Alex was laughing from the inside as Jake put his computer team down in the ground and in shame, teaching them a thing or two about computers when they thought they knew it all already. He could see, too, how much Jake enjoyed being there; enjoyed putting his talents to use and showing those people who'd been highly trained in that area of expertise that he was good enough to be there. There were still people who were wondering, however, what Alex was going to do with Jake and how he'd be able to get it past the people ranked higher than him to hire the boy and keep him on. But Alex didn't bother worrying about that, knowing once they'd seen the abilities Jake possessed, they'd be practically begging him to join the team. And so he watched on silently, all the while a huge grin plastered across his face as though his very own Cameron was the one in the hot seat and not Jake.

After Lincoln dropped off Jake, he went back home and sat with LJ; the two of them watching the Olympics together, cheering every once in a while and yelling at the box. Michael and Sara had been called down to the bank again. They had no idea what was going on but Michael had a huge feeling that it was for the firm he was setting up. He had his plan about letting Lincoln and Sucre in so that they'd have a job to their name as well as pay. Sara also went along because she was still looking for a job at certain hospitals. One of the ones that came up was the Swedish Covenant Hospital, where Nikki was. The only problem with the job was it was a little way across town from where she and Michael had decided to live. She didn't dismiss the offer entirely, having not yet to found a hospital or even a medical centre that had offered her a job better than the one the Swedish Covenant had.

Veronica went back to her law firm to tie together the last of the loose ends for the hearing against the mafia. Alex and Sammie went along with Veronica to officially present their evidence against the Kyubor Mafia and sign the documents that would ensure Jurell be put away for the crimes he'd committed. Jake was also taken along, having more recent information about the mafia and also because Alex had promised Lincoln not to leave Jake alone in the office no matter what the reason. He had a feeling the computer techs weren't too pleased being outsmarted by a teenager, and so that too had a hand in the decision to bring him along.

Lincoln stopped by them with LJ for a while so that they could work some more on the custody hearing for Jake and so that he and LJ could were on the same page when it came to the custodial hearings. It didn't take them more than hour to compile the testimonies and Lincoln was more than confident with their chances of gaining custody of Jake.

After that, during dinner, Lincoln and Veronica both agreed to having their friends over at the apartment for fun and to reminiscence in the friendships they've gained and the good things that have happened recently and in the past. More friendships and bonds were created that same night. Veronica, Maricruz, and Sara all got to know Alex's wife, Pamela, and Sammie well. LJ and Jake played around with Cameron who was a crazy little ankle biter.

Although Alex had to pull him away from hugging Jake's casted leg frequently; Cameron loves hugging legs for some reason. Alex and Sucre became fast friends as they explained their motives in the past and why they did the things they did. Lincoln and Alex also chatted about what went down in work and Lincoln couldn't help but laugh at his worker's expense. Alex told him how he was considering firing his computer team and then keeping Jake because no one would be able to keep up with Jake.

When the night was getting late, everyone decided that they'd go for a walk before heading out to go to sleep for tomorrow's big day. Jake was talking with LJ as they walked ahead of everyone. LJ felt a little jealous that Jake was already being useful, but he paid no mind to it when Alex said that he wanted LJ to work under Lang to be an agent. LJ laughed at the idea, but decided that it might be a good thing to be a good agent and also to be there if Jake needed it. So Lincoln would have to take the two of them to and from work. But he didn't mind. That means that LJ and Jake would both be working diligently because he knew he was going to have work soon with Michael and Sucre. Sara, Veronica, Maricruz, Sammie, and Pamela were all debating what they should call Maricruz's baby. They all decided that if it was a boy, it would be Fernando Jr., and if it was a girl, it would be Florina. But the way these girls were talking was as if they were in high school again. The guys had a hard time keeping up with what they were saying and they eventually gave up and went to talking to one another. Cameron, on the other hand, raced ahead with LJ and Jake to go on the swings in the park. They had fun until the rest of the group caught up.

After the walk, everyone went back to their own homes, leaving the Burrows and Scofield family to clean up the mess in the apartment. The younger boys went to bed early to rest their bodies and to be up early in the morning for the hearing. The rest of the family followed soon after.

*---*

Everyone woke up early in the morning and ate accordingly. After that, it was a pretty smooth hour with everyone going in and out of the bathroom to dress up. Jake was the last one to come out and he looked irritated at best.

"How in the hell do you guys stand wearing these suits? It's too nice for me. I thought I was just going in a polo and a pair of Dickies." Jake sounded nearly exasperated as he fixed his tie in the mirror. Michael came to stand behind him, helping him adjust his tie and straightening out his coat so that it was presentable.

"I don't even like wearing my suit either." Lincoln said. "But I had to multiple times when I had to go to those court hearings. It sucks."

"I look snazzy in a suit!" LJ cheerfully said. Jake walks up behind him and whacks him in the back of the head with his hand.

"Yeah… don't get trying to change my mood." Jake said in his still exasperated tone. LJ snarled and was about to hit him in the back of the head as well when Michael and Lincoln pulled them away from each other.

"Alright you two, break it up." Lincoln said.

"Come on Jake. You should be happy about what's about to happen for you!" Sara said. "You're going to be a Burrows."

"Sorry, I'm a little pessimistic when it comes to things that are partially based on chance. And I still hate this suit. Can I just go in a polo and a pair of Dickies?" Jake whimpered.

"No, you can't go in a polo and a pair of Dickies, Jake." Veronica said in her suit that she wore every time she went to her law firm. "This is how you're supposed to dress for hearings and that's how it's going to be like until after the hearing is over. You need to show them that you really do care about what's going on and part of that is to dress accordingly."

Jake groaned. "Okay can we go and get this over with? I want to change out of these already."

Lincoln chuckled. "Alright, let's go before he decides to go werewolf on us and rips his suit off."

Everyone besides Jake laughed. "Haha. Very funny dad. If I do become a werewolf, I'm targeting you first. So don't you forget it." Jake sarcastically said.

After Jake's comment, everyone went out and piled into the car. This time, Michael drove because the courthouse that they were heading to was a different one than the one Lincoln was held in. The hearing would take place there and the jail that held Jurell was transporting Jurell there for the hearing. Alex took off from his family as well for the day and Pam would be taking Cameron to the park soon. Her neighbors had children as well and they wanted their kids to meet with their new neighbors. Alex would also drive to pick up Sammie since the location of the courthouse was on the way to Sammie's.

Everyone who was Michael and Lincoln's friends would be there, except for Pam, Agent Lang, Simon Tulley, and Nikki Cordell. Agent Lang and Simon both had a date planned for the afternoon and the hearing would last about a half hour max from 12 noon and another half hour from 1 in the afternoon for the custody hearing.

*---*

The hearing against Jurell did indeed last half an hour. Sammie and Mahone went first to present the evidence and their testimonies that ended up revealing the Insurance Company as the Kyubor Mafia. As they presented, there were news reporters and you could hear gasps and shocks of awes in the crowd inside the court as they listened to the horrific events that led to Sammie losing her son after she'd uncovered her husband's secret.

After they presented their evidence, LJ and Jake presented their testimonies and to also get Jurell imprisoned for a long time, Jake presented the scars, the bruises, and the injuries to the judge. Lincoln had to pull the reporters off of Jake because there were up close, trying to take pictures of the injuries. Sucre, Michael, and Alex all forced the reporters out of the area with the help of the bailiff. They only kept a few reporters inside, the tame reporters.

Jurell received a 60 year sentence in Fox River. He was not eligible for parole at all due to him being a mob boss. The judge took the same precautions as he did with John Abruzzi. If he gets parole, he can get his mob back together. Now they were half an hour from the custody hearing. So in order to spend the time, everyone sat about chatting and laughing.

"Agent Lang is going to go awol trying to teach me how to be an agent." LJ explained to Jake.

"I'll bet on that. But yesterday I was busy doing what I can on the federal cases that Alex needed me to figure out."

"Speaking of the case… did you find the guy?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. Pinpointed his location and everything. I tried to go slower in acquiring his location to give you other workers a chance but I failed. I ended up going faster than I wanted to go slower. I also pinpointed several locations that he could possibly run to."

"All that, huh?" Alex asked. "You know, Lincoln, I'm probably am going to have to get the guys to pay him a salary. He's technically no longer interning as I intended it. As a matter of fact, he can be a mercenary. A well paid mercenary."

Lincoln laughed. "You better pay him for what he's worth. Hell, you better pay me for just being the dad." _It was hard to hate the man after awhile. Even if he killed dad, he's been trying to make amends. I can't help but not like Alex. He and I are almost alike when it comes to protecting the kids._

"You probably would've spent it at a strip bar or on beer, Linc." Michael pointed out. _Oh why did I say that?_ Veronica started to glare at Michael and Lincoln.

"Looks like someone got busted." Sucre mocked. Everyone laughed. They were almost oblivious that there were reporters still there, watching and recording everything. The ex-convicts were a good story to the papers; their lives, how they act in public. They were practically celebrities.

"Anyways, before the custody hearing begins," Maricruz started. "I want you all to know that Fernando and I are going to get married soon after the baby is born."

Jake groaned. "Does that mean I have to wear more fancy clothes? I can barely stand being in this suit." He pulls on his coat.

Sara and Veronica sighed. "Yes, Jake. It's appropriate wear to go to in a wedding." Sara irritably said. "You can't just go in a polo and a pair of Dickies."

"But-"

"No buts." Veronica interrupted. "Look Jake, you're going to have to get used to this."

Michael had his own plans, but he was glad to support the wedding. "So what's the plan for the wedding?" He asked curiously.

"Well, I still need a best man and Maricruz is looking for a maid of honor."

"So…" Michael sounded as if he was trying to tell Sucre that he was okay with being the best man. _I know Sucre. He doesn't have a plan yet. I bet he was waiting to ask me to be his best man._

"I was hoping you'd be my best man Michael." Sucre said as he looked at Michael.

_Aha, I knew it. _"Of course I'll be your best man Sucre. So how else are you two planning it?"

"Well, we're planning on having it in a church over here in Chicago. And I'm going to have to ask…" Maricruz looks between Sara, Veronica, and Sammie. "Pamela to be my maid of honor."

"What?!" Sara, Veronica, and Sammie all shouted out of surprise.

"You all can be my lady's maids." Maricruz said to avoid hurting more feelings.

"Why Pam?" Alex asks.

"Because you two got remarried and I want someone with more experience with weddings, meaning Pamela."

"I guess that's pretty reasonable." Alex admitted and he shrugged.

"Ahem." Everyone looks at the judge. "I think it's about time we get ready for this." She said in casual tone.

"Uh, yes your honor." Veronica said nervously. Lincoln, Jake, Veronica, and Sammie were all brought to the front. No one was defending.

After five minutes of reading the case file, the judge, Alice Cullen, sister-in-law of the president Emmett Cullen, looked at Lincoln.

"Now I know that with your credentials, meaning your prior arrests, that you are not fit to be a foster father. And also that Samantha Keeley is the rightful mother of Jake Sienel."

"Excuse me, your honor," Sammie interrupted. "But I already told them that I have no claim on Jake. I'm not standing in the way of Lincoln getting custody of Jake."

Alice was flabbergasted by her comment. Her eyes were wide open, but then she knew that this would've happened. "Why are you going to give your blood son to a man who was convicted several times in the past?"

Sammie looks at Lincoln. "Because he's a much better parent that I will ever be. And that is the truth of it all. I haven't been in Jake's life since he was a baby and I tried to find him before. That was when I saw how happy he was with Lincoln and his son, LJ, as well as the rest of his family. I won't take that away from him."

"Hmm… Can't say I didn't see this coming because I did. Well, Mr. Burrows, you know that in the past, you've stolen things, got into trouble, and were even framed for a crime you didn't commit. But when you broke out with your brother," Alice stops and thinks. _Another thing I saw coming. Damn it Jasper. You and your ways of making me feel happy for bad things even though you knew it was the right thing. _She was deep in thought and everyone was waiting.

"I'm sorry, your honor but as you were saying?" Veronica interrupted.

Alice snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh right. Sorry. As I was saying before I completely went off and daydreamed, wait, where was I?"

"You were talking about Lincoln breaking out, your honor." Veronica answered. _Is she even a judge? I mean she may be a sister to President Emmett Cullen…_

"Oh yes, of course. When you broke out with your brother, you committed several crimes in your wake and of course after helping exposing the Company and then helping the government take them down, you were exonerated of those crimes. However, that still doesn't mean that we'll overlook the things you did to this country."

Lincoln started to despair. _Well looks like I blew it… again._

"But, in the end, your actions this past week speaks for itself." Alice smiled. "You showed that you cared for Jake and your family. You blatantly disregarded the police and ran into a burning building to save your sons; you got Jake to medical care almost every time he was injured; and you even managed to save him again after he ran away."

_How did she know I went into the burning school? How did she know about Jake's disappearance?_ Everyone thought besides Alice, who was taking a look at them. She saw looks of marvel upon every face.

"You have to believe me, I… have my connections." _More like strong intuitions. And spies. Thank you Emmett. Those are the main reasons why I'm a judge. _

"So in this case, the custody of Jake Sienel will go to… ALEX MAHONE!" She points out to Alex who then drops his mouth in a silent _o _and his eyes open wide.

It took everyone a couple of seconds to realize what she said. "WHAT?!?" They all yelled.

Alice sat in her seat, laughing. "If you people haven't noticed, I haven't banged my gavel yet."

Everyone started to glare at her. "That was not funny!" They yelled in unison. "Your honor." They said in a calm, velvet voice.

"Well, she sure was a funny judge." Jake whispered in a nonchalant voice.

"Alright, alright. I rule in favour of Lincoln Burrows, granting him full custody of Jake Sienel. Case dismissed." As the gavel hit the small wooden block, a sense of shock swept through them. It felt surreal to be hearing the words. Happiness quickly replaces the shock they're feeling and wide grin spreads across his face. He turns to face Jake and finds the boy next to him, his arms coming to fold across Lincoln's middle. He hugs him back tightly and they pull apart as LJ comes to join them.

"Oh my God Jake I can't believe this, it's awesome." The two of them high five and suddenly LJ is dancing, his arms and legs flaying around as he belts out a tune that makes no sense to anyone but his happy self.

Then Jake, sensing his happiness, joins him, bopping his body and moving it as much as his casted leg permits so out of sync to LJ's tune they look like two out of tune dancers at a club, but they don't care. The happiness moves through them and they lose themselves in the emotion; the laughter coming from the rest of their family but a distant beat to the music in their ears.

Lincoln's legs seem to take on a life of their own as his feet begin to first tap against the wooden floor, following the beat of his sons' music. He watched on with a goofy smile before pulling Jake back into him for another hug.

"I love you, dad." He heard the muffled sentence from Jake's lips and hugged him tighter to his chest.

"I love you too, Jake."

Jake laughed. "I broke that promise I made to myself." He looks up at Lincoln who was suddenly baffled by the sentence. He raises his eyebrows in suspicion. "I said I wouldn't want to hug you for a week. It's only been two days. But let's just say that it's a promise that should be broken." Jake smiles at him and Lincoln hugs him tight.

LJ ceased his solo dancing and joined his father and brother in the hug. "Hey, welcome to the family, little bro." He smiled at him, patting his back the way his father and Uncle had done so many hugs.

"Hey don't forget me!" Michael jumped over and joined in the hug.

Everyone was watching and reporters were taking more pictures.

Lincoln looked around. "Well come on everyone, join in!"

It didn't take them a second to think about that command. Alex, Sucre, Maricruz, Sara, Sammie, and Veronica joined in the group hug.

"Alex!" Pam yelled from the door with Cameron in her arms. Alex pulls away from the group hug. She could tell that Lincoln got the custody over Jake. "You won!" She rushed over with Cameron and she joined in the hug.

The reporters were still taking pictures, but they were smiling as well as some tearing up in happiness.

Jake pulled away from Lincoln and the rest of his new family to face his mother, the only link left to his past life, his father not counting for anything. She watched him with tears in her eyes and he pulled his arms out and closed them around her.

"You'll always be my mother." He whispered, causing her to hold him tighter to her chest. He pulled away from her, tears in his own eyes falling down his cheeks.

She reached out a hand and swiped the tears from his face, keeping her palm enclosed over his cheek. "I'm so sorry I couldn't find you sooner Jake." Using her thumb, she wiped at the single tear that fell from his eyes. "I love you, Jake, and I'll always be a part of your life for as long as you want me."

"Forever." He whispered, smiling at her.

She smiled back and took him in her arms again; the feeling of her so close to her and so happy caused more than happiness to course through her body. "Then I'm not going anywhere, ever again." They pulled apart after a moment, cognizant of the scores of flashing bulbs around them as the media went wild with the image before them.

Ignoring the cameras and hubbub of the media, they turned back to the rest of the family. Jake was snagged into another hug by Sara and Veronica and as Samantha watched them doting on him, she didn't realize Lincoln was by her side until his arms encased her. She was shocked for but a moment before she responded, bringing her arms to wrap around his torso.

"Thank you for trusting me to take care of him." He told her, not relinquishing his hold on her. "I promise I'll do everything I can to protect him and keep him safe."

"No, Linc," she pulls out of the hug but his hands find their way to her shoulders as she speak. "I'm the one who should be thanking you. You saved him and for that I'm forever indebted to you. I can see how much you love him and there's no one I'd rather have him with than you and your family. You'll take better care of him than I did. I know he's safe with you but most importantly, he's happy with you." They both turned to watch Jake amidst the chaos of the courtroom. He was laughing at some inside joke he and LJ had going on, the happiness in him shifting his whole demeanor.

The battle to save Jake from his father and the future he damned into was over and they all couldn't be happier. As Sammie moved away to thank the rest of the family for their support of her son, Veronica made her way to Lincoln's side, his arm covering her middle and holding her to him. They stood side by side and watched their now extended family.

"Two sons now, Linc." Veronica whispered, causing him to look down at her smiling face as she herself watched his. "Who knows, maybe someday we can add a daughter to the mix." He bent over and took her lips in his, knowing that someday, they would add to their family and that nothing would make Lincoln happier.

"Well, let's get out of here!" Michael cheered on. "We should celebrate!"

"We already did, Uncle Mike. Yesterday. Remember?" LJ tapped his head. "I don't think we have the money or the food to actually party for awhile."

"Let's save up for Christmas, Michael." Sara said as she cradles in Michael's arms. Michael smiles down at her and takes her lips in his as well.

"Ah, yes, Christmas. Oh and Linc, Sucre, you both have jobs with me. My firm is finally up and our office, which by the way is sort of small, is located about a two miles south of Alex's Office. So it'll be rather convenient for the two of you."

"Oh sweet! Carpool time!" Sucre shouted as he shoots his arm up in the air.

Lincoln picks up Jake in his arms again. Jake narrows his eyes to send him the message to put him down. "Oh come on. Just one more time for old time's sake?"

"Alright. Just this time. And no picking me up anymore after that unless I really can't walk." Jake said grudgingly. But he smiles.

The reporters were still taking pictures as the group walked out the door into the bright, shining light. Although that light was just flash photography, it was still a light nonetheless.

**Chapter 19: Laughs, Surprises, and more Laughs**

It's been four months since the court hearing for the Burrows family. A lot of things have changed in the four months, but the friendships and bonds that the Burrows and Scofield family had ties stayed the same and grew stronger. The newspapers that went up the next day about the hearing made front page and brought good publicity towards the ex-cons. A lot of people began to see that they were just regular people, not the cons who escaped or were involved with the Fox River Eight. Though some people still had their agendas against allowing people who were exonerated of crimes to walk along the public in the sidewalks or the streets; they still believed that they belonged in prison.

LJ was also hired as a Junior Agent as he works under Agent Lang. She trained him with guns, procedure, and even gave him a lot of tips on how each case goes. Of course, she went through hell trying to get LJ to stay working because he simply kept getting distracted watching Jake and his fast fingers on the computer. He was really intrigued by how he managed to pinpoint and locate every fugitive the team was after.

Jake also became an agent, but he wasn't in the field as much as LJ was when he was with Agent Lang. He was better suited off in Alex's office to give a play by play. After a couple of weeks of working, he started receiving big paychecks from the FBI for his computer expertise. Every case he was given he gave 110% for Alex. He wanted him to look good to his superiors and Alex also helped him solve the impending puzzles that were brought on the team. He was also off his crutches and his left leg and received a full recovery.

Lincoln and Veronica's relationship grew stronger than ever. They loved each other with the heat intensity of a thousand suns. Whenever Veronica was at work, Lincoln would always pay a visit for lunch and they would go out and eat wherever. Lincoln had work with Michael as well, but Michael didn't mind if Lincoln went out for a lunch break, as long as he was back within 45 minutes otherwise he would dock part of his pay for that day. That kept Lincoln on time patrol every time.

Michael's firm completely soared the moment he, Lincoln, and Sucre helped the community rebuild the school. Of course his firm wouldn't have taken such a leap from nowhere to somewhere high if it weren't for Jake's secret use of stealing the old blueprints of the school in the FBI database that he didn't have to hack into. His security clearance was high enough for a lot of things because Alex's superiors did not want to restrict his abilities. So with the blueprints, Michael, Lincoln, and Sucre joined the community in rebuilding the school. You could nearly say that this was America's Extreme Home Makeover show with the parents of the students as well as the staff all working together to rebuild the school to its formal glory.

Michael and Sara loved each other as much as Lincoln and Veronica did, possibly more. The two of them had won the bid for the house and earned the ownership of it. Sara wanted to do the furnishing of the house more than anything with some input from Michael. She drove everyone, Lincoln, Alex, Sucre, Jake, LJ, and Michael to the point where even a nun would crack. Her bossiness as well as perfection in the new home meant everything to her. So they all held their tempers until they got home, where they unleashed hell on their pillows. But they still loved Sara and her bossiness.

Sara had found a good paying job at Lincoln Park Hospital. It was extremely close to where she lived so all she had to do was walk. This would allow her to sleep a little more and not rush around when she needs to get up and head to work. She also giggled every time she walked into the hospital because it had Lincoln's name in it. To her surprise, a lot of nurses and doctors kept admiring her for what she did in the past and also felt sorry that she lost her father, the governor Frank Tancredi.

Maricruz is now eight months pregnant. It was only a matter of time until the baby would be born. She hasn't done much but worked around the apartment that she and Sucre lived in. Sucre did most of the work in the house and she pretty much anything she craved. Sucre, on the other hand, went to work every day when Lincoln drove by to carpool with him and Michael. This saved money on gas.

Alex, Pamela, and Cameron lived a happy family life. Pam became the front page journalist of the newspaper. All of her stories that were published hit the front page so she loved her job very much. Cameron continued to go to school, but instead of going straight home, he goes to Alex's office so Alex can take care of him. He also continuously kept running up and bothered Jake and LJ, although they didn't mind because they loved having Cameron around. He was like a little brother to the two of them. Alex continued working, but he was more devoted to his family and friends than to his work. He had to fire a few members of his team for blatantly trying to hurt Jake out of jealousy when he was working, although Jake really didn't care.

Sammie bought a small apartment about 10 blocks away from the Burrows' residence. She visited Jake every other day and found work in a flower shop. Maricruz asked if she could do the flowers for the wedding and she accepted. She and Jake were close as mother and son again. Although she did repeatedly get calls from Jurell in the prison; she picked up a few times because all she heard were pleas of forgiveness. She felt bad for him, but she couldn't tell if he was faking or not. She really wasn't about to put hers and Jake's life at risk again.

Now it was approaching Christmas Day and today was Christmas Eve. School is out for the Winter Break and the Burrows family is planning something for the family and friends.

Lincoln, Veronica, LJ, and Jake sit around the table, eating and then deciding on the plans of where to go for the party and who to have catering it.

"How about this dude right here?" LJ asks as he points at the caterer's name, "Corny Calman."

"Who the hell is Corny Calman?" Jake asks callously.

"No way. We're not having him cater our party. That guy is one of the crappiest caterers in this city." Veronica said as she scratches off his name with a black permanent marker.

Lincoln hums for a bit as he looks at the phone book. "How about…" He puts his finger down on Connie Fermin's name in the phone book.

"No!" Jake immediately yelled. "She's been known to be a rip-off and scam artist. Alex actually had us arrest her yesterday. Well at least LJ and Lang went there to arrest her with a few other agents."

"Yeah, that's true dad. We arrested her yesterday." LJ calmly said to soothe the bad air out.

"Wow. Didn't know that happened yesterday. Then again, I haven't really been asking you two what you have been doing in the FBI to begin with." Lincoln said as he takes a bite out of a chocolate chip cookie.

They spend five more minutes looking through all of the phone books for caterers. "What the hell is this?" Jake points his finger at a name. "It says "The Purple Teletubby, Tinky Winky is gay. He has a handbag, catering service.'"

Everyone looks up for a moment and then they immediately burst into a hysterical laugh. It took them a few minutes to calm down. Veronica worked to turn the page as she laughed.

"Haha! Oh man! That made my day!" Lincoln brought his laugh to a chuckle.

LJ couldn't stop laughing every time he thought of that. "Jeez. Who came up with that name for a catering service?"

"Probably some Polish person." Jake stereotypically said as he stopped laughing.

"Jake, it's not nice to stereotype people." Veronica punishes Jake for the comment.

"Sorry."

They take a look for another two minutes and made some calls as they looked at the catering service names. All of them were booked for Christmas. "Well, we could always turn this into a potluck." Lincoln said as he felt that it was nearly inevitable that they'd find a caterer in time for the Christmas Party.

Everyone sighs. "This is what you call poor planning on our part." Veronica said gallingly.

"Wait." Lincoln said as he looks down. "How about this one? The two names in here also have a place where they can cater fully to our needs, at least that is what this ad is saying." He puts his finger on a name and number.

Veronica was skeptical. She sighs but then looks at Lincoln's faithful face. "It couldn't hurt to ask." She then picks up the phone and dials the number. She gets picked up immediately.

"Hi, my name is Veronica Donovan and I was just wondering if you're booked for Christmas."

Everyone could hear muffling coming from the phone. "Oh, you're not? That's great!" She yelled cheerfully. LJ and Jake give each other a high five.

"How many people are going to attend the party?" Veronica asks again out loud. Lincoln gets the list and counts down the names.

"11, babe." Lincoln said.

"There will be 11 people, but make room for 20." Veronica says into the phone.

"Why 20?" Lincoln asks.

"You never know when you have unexpected friends Linc." Veronica replies.

Jake and LJ see that this is going to turn out well. They take a look at the time. It was 11 in the morning. "Oh shoot! Sorry dad! Jake and I have to go to practice!" The two of them grab their duffle bags on the chairs. Jake was the Running-Back and also the playmaker of the Varsity Football team and LJ was the point-guard of the Varsity Basketball team.

"Oh right! Jake has Football Practice and you have Basketball." Lincoln takes a look at the time. It was 11:01 AM. "You two better get going before you coaches eat you up for being late."

"My coach wouldn't eat me up considering I'm the one who ends up saving them during the game anyways." Jake mutters quietly.

The two of them walk out the door. "Bye dad!" LJ and Jake yelled one after another as they close the door. They hit the elevator button to go down and the elevator stops right on their floor. They go in.

"You're going to stay at school later than usual and then lie again, aren't you?" Jake asks.

"Of course. I'm not ready to tell them about **that **yet." LJ said as he shuffles his feet.

"You do know you're going to have to tell them someday. You can't hide it forever. You two already have been sneaking around. It's starting to look suspicious both ways." Jake explained thoroughly.

"I just don't think that now is the right timing." LJ defended. _I don't want them to judge her severely._

"Look, if you two can lie easily to your parents about secretly dating, then you shouldn't have a problem in getting her parents to come over to a Christmas party. Dad just wants you to be happy. But he doesn't want you to do anything insensitive to anyone in order for you to achieve it. The point is that you need to bring her to meet dad and everyone that is going to the party. That's where the timing is."

"Can we talk about something else please?" LJ asks. _I hate it when he bothers me about that. It's my life._

Jake sighs. "I can't always cover your ass, you know. Do you want to know how many times I had to come up with some heinous excuse as to why you didn't come home with me? I even used the some of them twice! I'm running out of excuses here and dad and Uncle Mike are starting to get suspicious. I don't want to be the one they look at when they're angry."

The elevator reaches the bottom floor and they walk out into the streets. They talk and head towards the school.

"Just drop it. I'm not bringing her and that's final. You're just going to have to put up a different excuse this time when I come home late tonight."

Jake sighs again. _Well this sucks. _"Fine. But you owe me big time for all the times I covered for you."

"Yeah yeah." LJ ignored the comment.

*---*

Veronica and Lincoln were at home, making out on the couch as they watched an old romantic movie that they didn't pay any attention to. Lincoln kissed her softly on the lips and Veronica moaned. She loved Lincoln so much and they were happy that things are going to work out for the Christmas party. They pull away for a second to take a breath and then embrace each other once again.

Veronica pulls away after a minute. "Well that was lovely." She said as she catches her breath. She smiles.

"You haven't seen anything yet babe." Lincoln smiles.

"Oh I think I've seen it all already. Don't forget what happened years ago when I graduated from college." Veronica finally catches her breath and relaxes. She starts to watch the movie.

"Why did we pick this movie? I'd rather watch something else."

Lincoln moves for the DVD/VHS player and takes the video out. He examines the tape. "Wow, why did we pick this movie? This movie was a terrible movie recommended by Derek."

Veronica chuckles. "Find something while I go get the-" The phone rings. "Well now I go get the phone." She walks over to the phone while Lincoln runs through the DVDs in the drawers of the TV stand.

She picks up the phone and answers. "Hello?"

"Hey Veronica." Michael replied.

"Hey Michael." Veronica replied back.

"Sara and I were wondering if you guys were all free for dinner. There's nothing else for us to do here because Sucre is busy with taking care of Maricruz and Alex is busy with work tonight. Pamela is also with Cameron at his school for a small children's play tonight. I knew that Jake and LJ had the day off and since our firm has nothing to do until after New Years, I figured we could spend some time together for old time's sake. It's been awhile since we actually ate together."

"I don't think two and a half weeks constitutes as awhile Michael."

"Hey, who is that?" Lincoln asked as he walks over with a DVD in his hands.

"It's Michael, Linc." Veronica replied to him.

"Oh Linc's there?" Michael asks.

"Of course. Where else would he be?"

"I thought he was going to do something with the boys since they're out of school for only two weeks."

"Nah. Jake and LJ had to head to school for sports practice. We aren't doing much here except…" She cuts herself off. _Better not let the surprise slip._ "Watching movies."

Michael laughed on the other end of the phone. "Well I won't interrupt your 'movie time' anymore. But can you guys come over to our home for dinner? Bring LJ and Jake too. I want their opinions on a few things. Well Sara wants their opinion, but I have a few things as well."

"Can we go over to Michael's for dinner, Linc?" Veronica asks as she covers the speaker end of the phone.

"Yeah, of course." He said as he slapped the DVD in his hand. "They'll be back by one this afternoon."

"We'll be there by 6 tonight Michael." Veronica answered Michael's inquiry.

"Alright, that's great!" Michael said excitedly. "Sara should be calling me to pick her up soon so I have to hang up now. Love you Veronica! And tell Linc that he needs to stop falling asleep at work."

"Love you too Michael and I'll be sure to get Lincoln for that. See you two later!" She hangs up the phone, sighs, and then turns to Lincoln. Her eyes revealed disappointment.

"What happened?" Lincoln asks oblivious to the glow in her eyes.

"Linc, stop falling asleep at work. That's how you lost your last job before you know what happened." Veronica wanted to avoid bringing back the bad memories. The memories that happened in the past will always be there. The only thing that they could do is go on with life and forge better memories to attempt to replace the bad ones.

"Sorry. I've just been so tired lately. But enough about work. Let's watch this movie, in the dark." Lincoln swiftly dims the light in the room and he pops the DVD in. Veronica sits next to him on the sofa.

*---*

It was one in the afternoon and Jake and split off with LJ after his football practice. LJ went to another friend's house to do something. Jake regretted the decision of lying to Lincoln to cover for LJ. He didn't want to keep doing that to his new dad. He sighs and then opens the door.

Veronica suddenly looks over to the door, sees a silhouette, and then screeches in a high pitched voice. Lincoln covers his ears while Jake hits the floor and shoves the door close.

_What the? Why is it so dark in there and why did Veronica scream?_ Jake gets up and starts to think if he should open the door again. He stands up and this time, the door opens and Lincoln was standing there in the light, rubbing his ears.

"Sorry about that." Lincoln said apologetically as he continued trying to rub his ear.

"God she scared me dad. What the hell are you two doing in there anyways?" Jake thinks for a second. "Oh my god… I'm going to Uncle Mike's." Jake picked his stuff off the floor and starts to walk back towards the elevator. Lincoln stops him before he makes it there.

"Please, don't feel bad for me. I don't want to interrupt whatever you two are doing in there." Jake said as he doesn't look behind his back.

"Wait, what are you thinking?" Lincoln asks.

"I don't think you need to know what I'm thinking because you know what I'm thinking."

"No, I don't know what you're thinking."

Jake sighs. "You and Veronica are getting… you know."

Lincoln ponders on the thought._ What could he mean? Oh._ He laughs out loud and then brings Jake towards the apartment room.

"Look, I don't want to-" He looks at the TV screen. "What the? Why are you two watching the Grudge?"

"We needed to watch something so I pulled out the Grudge."

Veronica was rocking back in forth in the couch, biting her nails. "He's in the room! HE'S IN THE ROOM!"

Lincoln and Jake started to laugh. "You dimmed the lights to increase the scare factor. Haha! Gold!"

"Shut up! You're grounded!" Veronica yelled at him.

"Now, now Veronica. Calm down. It's just a movie. There's no such thing as a ghost child coming back to haunt whoever sleeps in a home." Lincoln said as he held Veronica.

Jake shakes his head. "Dad, don't let her watch anymore. You're barely halfway through and she's going to bust our ears if she keeps screaming at this rate. Next thing you know, she's going to keep you up at night and you're going to fall asleep at work again."

"How does everyone know that?" Lincoln asks.

"Who doesn't know that? Anyways, I'm going to head into my room to relax."

"Hey, where's LJ?" Lincoln asks.

Jake stopped in his tracks. _Aw shit. I should've headed to my room faster._ "LJ is at his Roy's house. They're playing… basketball."

"Wait, LJ said he stopped talking to Roy after what he did to him in school? Why would he go back to being friend's with Roy so soon?"

"Because LJ doesn't hold grudges?" Jake said quickly as another excuse.

Lincoln was starting to really wonder why Jake is coming up with excuse after excuse when LJ isn't home. "What's really going on Jake?"

"Uh…" _Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit! I'm screwed now. LJ's going to kill me unless…_ "LJ is… LJ is…" Jake covers his mouth and makes a mad dash for the bathroom. "I'm going to be sick!" He yells from the other end of the door. He pretends like he's about to throw up, making gagging noises and sounds a person does when they barf.

Lincoln runs up to the door and tries to open it, but it was locked. "Jake? Are you alright!? Let me in!" He knocks on the door.

Jake clears his throat. "I'm fine. Just a little sick from the food I ate today after practice." He flushes the toilet then takes a small cup to fill with water to wash his mouth out with, all in an act to cover for LJ.

"Are you sure?" Lincoln asks. "Because I can take you over to Sara right away."

"No. I'm fine dad. Just… need time to rest." Jake manages to make himself look pale with some of Veronica's makeup and then walks out the bathroom, holding his stomach. He walks into LJ's room, where they bunked him and LJ in, and lies down on the bed. Lincoln follows in soon after to check in on him. He sits down on the bed beside him.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you to Sara?" Lincoln asks as he touches Jake's forehead with the back of his hand. "You look absolutely pale."

"I just… need some time to rest. I'll be fine after a nap." Jake struggled to say. _If he ever catches me lying to him, I'm so going to kill myself._

Lincoln checks his forehead again. "Well at least you're not running a fever. Okay then, take a good rest Jake. If you're not better by five-thirty, I'm cancelling on Michael."

"Wait, what are you doing with Uncle Mike?"

"Sara and Michael wanted us to come over for a Christmas Eve dinner. You know we haven't been there in two and a half weeks."

"That's because the last time we went there, Sara had us move more furniture around." Jake said as he shuts his eyes.

Lincoln chuckled. "It wasn't that bad compared to the first time we had to move the furniture in."

"Please don't go there. That was just plain ol' hell on wheels." Jake stifled a hard laugh and brought it to a mere chuckle.

"Heh, alright. Go rest. I'll wake you around five to see if you're feeling better." Lincoln messes with his hair. He gets up afterwards and walks toward the door.

"Dad?"

Lincoln stops and turns around. "Yes?"

"In case I do something bad to you sometime in the future, I want to say I'm sorry."

"You're not going to do anything bad to me. I know that for truth." Lincoln walks out the door and closes it.

_You'll see what I mean... soon._ Jake closes his eyes and rests. He was actually more fatigued than he realized after the football practice.

*---*

It was 4:30 in the afternoon and LJ came home. He unlocks the door and sees that the lights are dark. Veronica screeched again and this time, LJ just walked in carelessly and turned on the lights.

"Hi dad! Hi Veronica!" LJ cheerfully said, ignoring the screech from Veronica. "Watching a scary movie in the dark again?"

"Yep. The Grudge. I finally got used to Veronica screaming though." Lincoln nonchalantly said. "Hey, where have you been?"

"Oh I was at… the mall with some friends." LJ lied. _Damn it. What did you tell them Jake?_

Veronica was quiet again but this time, she turns and looks at LJ. "Jake got sick a couple of hours ago. But he's resting now. I think he might be up right now."

"Cool. I'll go check him out." LJ starts walking for his room.

"Oh wait, there's something else. Michael and Sara want us over for dinner tonight. Not sure if we'll go unless Jake is feeling better, so ask him if he is." Lincoln requests as he sits next to Veronica on the sofa.

"Do they need our opinion on something or do they want us to move more stuff? Because I think I'm going to get sick if I move more stuff for Sara again."

"Just an opinion. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to do that to you guys again. Although you never know."

"If she asks me to move something, I'm going to act like my shoulders are sore and you're going to agree with me dad."

Lincoln shrugged. "We'll see. Anyways, go check on Jake. We have an hour and a half to get ready."

"Kay." LJ walks into his room and shuts the door behind him. "Hey, are you alright man?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be? Besides the fact that I'm still lying for you." Jake gets off his bed and stretches.

LJ lets out a light chortle. "So you were sick earlier?"

"Nope."

"What?"

"I ran out of lies so I had to get out of telling them something. Basically I played out the whole sickness and throwing up in the toilet thing out."

LJ laughs. "Man you really are a trip. Well, it looks like you're better. We need to get ready to head to Uncle Mike's."

*---*

It didn't take long for everyone to get ready to walk over to Michael's home. It was approaching 6 PM so everyone took off and started walking. The distance was about two blocks so it really didn't take them too long to get there. As they walked through the snow, LJ and Jake decided to have a snowball fight as they ran ahead. Lincoln and Veronica joined in and all of them had a little bit of fun while walking. Lincoln knocks on the door and Michael opens it.

"Hey Linc. Hey Veronica." Michael hugs his brother and Veronica.

"Hey, what's up man?" Lincoln replies back.

"Hey Michael." Veronica greets.

"So where's…?" Michael trailed off when he looked behind Lincoln and Veronica. "Ah, there they are!" Michael hugs LJ and Jake. "So, how are the teams?"

"LJ's basketball team sucks while mine is shining." Jake sinisterly smiles.

LJ knocks him on the head. "Yeah… hard to believe that when my team is winning by a large margin in our games while yours is… wait yeah. We suck compared to your team."

"So that smack on the head was for no reason?" Jake said as he rubs the back of his head.

"There are a lot of reasons for that. One being-"

"Okay you two, break it up." Veronica said. "You've both been at it since you started working with Alex. When is it ever going to end with you two agents?"

"Actually, Veronica, I'm the agent and LJ is the junior agent." Jake said for clarity as he points his finger at LJ.

"Loser." LJ retorts.

"Trash." Jake retorts.

"Nerd."

"Worthless."

"Dumbface."

"Idiot." By this point, LJ and Jake were face to face. Lincoln and Veronica pulled them off of each other.

"OKAY ENOUGH!" Lincoln yelled in his deep, terrifying tone. "LJ, Jake, no arguing or fighting until we're at home, understand?"

"Yes dad." LJ and Jake both said with their heads down.

"Well, that was… interesting. Anyways, come in. You guys must be cold out there." Michael ushers everyone to get inside. Sara walks out of her room, looking extravagant today.

"Wow. Sara. You look… wow." Lincoln was at a loss of words. Sara was wearing a beautiful red dress. It fit her body perfectly, getting all of her wonderful curves and it was strapless. LJ and Jake walk in after talking with Michael about his question about what they should do for the New Year's Party. They stop to stare open mouthed at Sara.

"Oh." Jake started.

"My. LJ continued.

"God." They both finished. The two of them continued to stare with their gaping mouths and wide open eyes.

"What? Is it that bad?" Sara asked as she checked the dress herself.

"No." The three Burrows boys replied. They continued to stare.

"Okay, let me answer that question for you Sara." Veronica stepped forward. "These three here are just dumbstruck. That dress looks absolutely beautiful on you Sara. But what's the occasion?"

"Someone from work has a rich friend that wants me to meet him. Michael and I are going and I needed your guys' opinion on the dress. It looks like I got what I needed on that." Sara said happily. "Well, I'll be right back. I'll change into something more subtle." Sara walks back into her room.

"Uh. Any other opinions Michael before these boys stop drooling?" Veronica asks with a hint of joke on her tongue. The boys snap their mouths shut and then stand straight.

"Oh yes, well first, let's get dinner started on the table and then we can discuss some of the important matters."

*---*

It didn't take Sara long to change into something a bit more restrained. She wore a simple white blouse with blue sweatpants. Sara didn't feel like pondering too much on what to wear for a simple dinner evening with the family she loved.

Dinner was also pretty simple. Michael decided to go Chinese for the night and ordered hot, fresh, Chinese food that tasted like it was delivered five minutes before the Burrows family had arrived. After everyone had finished eating, they stayed about, chatting and then Michael brought out the reason they were there.

"Okay, for the main reason why you're all here is that Sara and I have been, well, have you looked at Sara's left hand yet?" Michael starts off. The setting of the room was like a conference meeting of a business. Sara brings her left hand to the table and everyone stared at it. It was an engagement ring!

"Congrats bro!" Lincoln happily said first.

"Congrats Michael! I'm happy for you and Sara!" Veronica also said right after.

"Congrats from the both of us!" LJ and Jake said. "I guess that's why you wanted us over. You wanted us to discuss wedding plans." Jake said.

"I knew you'd catch on first." Michael appraised Jake, smiling widely at him.

They ushered the family into the dining room, Michael retrieving his laptop while Sara set about making coffee and hot chocolate for everyone, bringing out the mud cake she'd baked earlier that afternoon. The moment she placed the dessert on the table, LJ and Jake were all over it, attacking the dessert like they'd never been subjected to such a thing before.

"Hey, piglets!" Lincoln called, causing them to stop, their mouths full of cake with both their hands holding onto the next piece. Lincoln looked at them, shaking his head at his two boys. "Wanna try breathing a little? You're gonna make yourselves sick."

LJ shrugged his shoulders, chewing and swallowing his mouthful. "It tastes _so_ good!" He smiled at his father, revealing his chocolate stained teeth. They couldn't help it, the all burst into a fit of laughter, LJ oblivious to the chocolate coating his front teeth.

"You got chocolate in teeth, bro." Jake laughed at him, in turn causing LJ to laugh as he spotted the chocolate marked on Jake's teeth. It took them a few minutes to settle down, both boys licking the chocolate off before diving into the cake again, devouring a few more of the rich chocolaty dessert before both sitting back, holding their stomachs and moaning in pain

"Ugh, I think I ate a little too fast." Bringing his hand to his mouth, LJ shot up in his chair and ran to the bathroom, Jake not thirty seconds behind him.

Lincoln watched his sons dash to the bathroom, shaking his head at them with a smile on his face. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I warned them, but the piglets wouldn't listen to me, and now they're chucking up in your bathroom." He looked up at his brother and Sara, an apology plastered across his face. "Sorry 'bout that guys."

"Don't worry about it." Sara reassured him, taking the empty dessert plate to the sink and returning with a plate of choc-chip cookies.

"So before Piggle-Dum and Piggle-Dee ate themselves sick, I believe we were discussing wedding plans." Veronica said, dunking a cookie in her coffee before taking a bite out of it.

"Yeah, what have you guys organized so far?" He reached out for his second cookie, taking a large bite out of it. "Damn, these are good Sara." He told her, literally licking his lips.

"Well there's plenty so go for your life." She smiled at him, winking at Veronica as she said, "the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, apparently." He eyed her out, shrugging before his hand took up the last of the cookies on the plate. This time, Michael got up to refill, returning to find the boys back from the bathroom.

"You guys feeling better?" He asked, to which they both silently nodded. He went back to the kitchen and brought two glasses of water, placing one in front of each boy. They mumbled their thanks and drank a little, welcoming the taste of the refreshing liquid.

"Well, we've set a date already." Mike continued their conversation as though they'd never steered off topic.

"That's great! When?" Lincoln asked.

Michael and Sara shared an apprehensive look before Michael told him the date. "May the eleventh." Lincoln's eyes grew wide with shock, as did Veronica's and the two boys'. LJ started choking on his cookie and Jake slapped him hard on the back. He wanted to hit LJ so that was his excuse.

"Are you being serious?" He asked, looking back and forth between the two of them. They silently nodded and he shook his head. "Why, of all the dates in the year, would you pick the date I was meant to die, as the date for your wedding?"

"That's exactly why, Linc." Sara replied, taking hold of his hands that were resting on the tabletop. "May eleven _was_ the date of you execution, it was forever going to be a date that was tainted by that horrible fact. So we decided that we wanted it to mark a happy occasion, one that we could celebrate rather than try to forget about.

We weren't being insensitive; we all know it's not so simple to even try to forget something like that, but we just wanted to take away from that wretched memory and make that day a happy one and not one we'd all rather forget about." She squeezed his hands gently, waiting for him to say something, hoping he understood that they only had the best interests at heart with this decision.

"I, thanks guys." He smiled at them, knowing he never should have doubted his brother would have a valid explanation for the choice of date. "I think that's a great idea, I really do." He released his hands from Sara's grip and picked up his coffee mug, holding it up slightly. They caught on quickly and raised their mugs as Lincoln made a toast. "To a happy May eleven; for next year and all those that will follow. Cheers."

They clink their mugs together and took a sip of their beverages. No more was said on the date of the wedding as they moved on with the preparation. Michael didn't so much ask Lincoln as tell him that he was going to be his best man, which Lincoln had already decided was going to be the case when he heard his brother was getting married. And it only made sense for Sara to have Veronica as her maid of honor, having grown extremely close to her; the two of them were practically sisters.

Sara disappeared for a moment, returning with a stack of bridal magazines with bright tags poking out of them every which way. She'd clearly spent a lot of time marking off some dress ideas and what not, and she and Veronica lost themselves in the pages, commenting a hundred different styles, some they liked, some they loved, and some they found embarrassingly hideous

While they did that, the guys focused on finding the perfect reception. Sara trusted Michael's judgment enough to leave that detail up to him, but she knew already he wouldn't decide anything for certain before consulting her.

They talked wedding for a few more hours before they realized it was nearing midnight, and they had to get going, the day ahead proving to be a long one already. They hugged their guests as they left, thanking them for their help and with the promise of seeing them all tomorrow.

She cleared the table of her magazines and placed the mugs in the dishwasher as Michael took his laptop back to his study. He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and holding her to him. She turned her head slightly, welcoming the kiss she knew was coming.

After a moment, they pulled apart, and she turned in his arms to give him a proper hug. "Hmmm, do you realize how happy you make me just with your arms around me like this?"

He squeezed her just a little tighter and kissed her forehead. "Yeah, I kind of do, because it's the same feeling I get when you're around." She pulled away from him slightly, stretching up a little to kiss him, full on the lips.

"Merry Christmas, Michael." She smiled up at him, noticing the clock hanging behind Michael had just struck twelve.

"Merry Christmas babe." He replied, planning another kiss on her lips. "And here's to many, many more." They smiled lovingly in each other's eyes before he turned around and led them to the bedroom.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day for them all, but there was no denying the excitement that coursed through each of their veins as they anticipated the first Christmas they'd be spending as a family, all of them together in the same room, with everyone they loved and cared for surrounding them.

**Chapter 20: The Christmas Party**

It was Christmas day and everyone was up happily in the morning. Michael and Sara woke up early for this day and even came over to the Burrows' residence to spend their Christmas day there. Even Sucre and Maricruz dropped by since they don't have anyone else besides each other to spend their holiday with. Sammie was also there in the morning. Everyone stood in front of the Christmas tree and a load of presents stood before them all.

"So…" LJ started. "How are we going to do this?"

Jake stood there, staring at his presents. "I don't know. How did you guys do this before?"

"Forget this." Lincoln snarled. He dashes for his presents and started ripping them open. Michael followed after that with Veronica and Sara close behind. Sucre, Maricruz, Sammie, Jake, and LJ were just staring and watching the four adults open their presents like little kids.

"Wow…" They said in a pathetic tone. The four of them stopped and looked up.

"What?" The four of them asked, oblivious to their actions.

"Never mind. Let's just open our presents." LJ said. Lincoln and Michael were at loss as to what they did. Veronica and Sara blushed at their actions.

*---*

Lincoln had received a softer pillow as a joke from both LJ and Jake since they knew he would fall asleep at work and he could use that to get a good sleep fix. But they also gave him a serious present. He got a new gold Citizen watch that had LJ's, Jake's, and Veronica's names written on the inside of the watch band. Veronica gave him a necklace that said "I'll never give up on you." Lincoln loved those gifts from his family and he hugged each of them and kissed Veronica with a deep, hot passion. And also, Veronica received a golden bracelet from Lincoln that said 'I will love you with all my heart'. She cherished it and wore it immediately.

Michael had given Sara a beautifully, crafted ceramic rose to replace the paper one that he gave to her months ago. It represented the love he had for her and Sara knew it was the greatest present that Michael had ever given to her. Sara had given Michael a ceramic building she built by herself in an art shop.

The remaining presents were mostly clothes for everyone, everything new to wear, to change their looks for the coming year. Except Lincoln and Michael both chipped in to buy Jake a new laptop and LJ some new sports gear because Jake had too much superstition with replacing his old gear for new ones.

*---*

It was approaching four in the afternoon in Chicago. Lincoln finally gave everyone an address and told them to be at that address at six at night. He also allowed them to invite a few friends, but nothing too big as he wanted to keep this a small party between him, his family, and his close friends.

Lincoln and his family had to go to the place they reserved for the Christmas party to make sure everything was in order. Veronica had suggested that they go check things out because she wanted to make sure everything was going as planned, even though they were last minute. They loaded into the car and headed out to the party venue a little before the clock struck four.

"Well, I'm going to feel heavily embarrassed if the place turns out to be a wreck." Veronica stated.

"Yeah… I don't think the guys will trust me to do anything unless I do it way ahead of time." Lincoln agreed.

"I would've checked myself on my new laptop but I felt like surprising myself. Now I'm starting to regret it." Jake said as he stared through the windshield.

"Well there's nothing we can do about that now." LJ said as he stared out the right window. "We're either going to love it or hate it."

Lincoln drives to the address down by Lake Zurich but he was having difficulty spotting the house at the address they'd been given.

"Do you think that's it there?" Jake asks as he points to the house on the plateau.

"It couldn't hurt to check." Veronica suggests. Lincoln maneuvered the car and drove up the long driveway leading to the large house that stood alone on the small incline.

"That's a really nice house dad." LJ stated; his eyes on the four story house looming in the near distance. "I wonder why they're free for Christmas."

Veronica was having the same thoughts as she watched the beautiful house grow closer as they drove slowly towards it. She spotted a fountain in the middle of the front yard; an angel pirouetting with two doves on either shoulder. The mouth was not producing the stream of water it would have in the warmer months, but the white granite structure was beautiful regardless. Around the fountain, a bed of pink-white hydrangea flowers were still blooming. She noticed also the driveway had been lined with evergreen trees; their leaves covered with a light sprinkling of snow and red and silver garlands encircled each one.

When they reached the top of the driveway, he drove around the large fountain and parked the car in one of the two parking garages on either side of the house and the family stepped out of the car, appreciating the beauty of the large house before them.

The three story structure was covered in an immaculate white cladding; with two steep pikes on either side of the roof. There were four large windows on the topmost floor facing the front of the house alone, and Veronica couldn't help but wonder how many more there were around it. A soft brown colored balcony ran the length of the top floor. The middle floor was much the same as the one above it, and the ground level had two large windows situated on either side of the two-door entrance, and a balcony which circled the perimeter of this bottom level. The door was the same brown as the balcony and had an antique brass colored knocker. To the left of the door stood a life-sized Santa Clause, the tip of his hat lighting periodically and his arm moving up and down as though waving at the guests.

The house was covered in a foray of decorations. Fairy lights lined the three balconies, turning on as the day grew darker and headed towards night. They noticed, too, that the roof was lit with the image of the reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh across the sky; a "Merry Christmas" message above that. The same red and silver garlands were also wound around the balconies and other bits as well as other bits and pieces around the house.

"Come on guys," Lincoln called, making his way towards the door, "Let's get out of the cold." Veronica walked up beside him and LJ and Jake followed close behind. Reaching the door, he was about to bang the brass handle against the door when he the sound of a doorbell rung out from within.

He turned to Veronica and saw the buzzer beside her. "It may be an old house but they know what technology is, Linc." She smirked at him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and chuckled at her remark. Not a moment later, the door opened.

"Hi, welcome to Bella and Edward Cullen's Catering Service. I am Jacob Black and you must be the Burrows' clan." The man at the door smiled a toothy smile, exposing his perfect white teeth. He was about four inches taller than Lincoln and his black hair was scruffy in almost untamed manner. He wore a suit with a green and red striped tie to commemorate the holiday. "You're a little earlier than we were expecting but that doesn't matter. Come on in." He stepped aside, opening the door wider to allow room walk through.

They stepped inside the foyer, the inside of the house more beautiful than the outside and it too was decorated with ornaments of the holiday. The round foyer was brightly lit with stairs to the left curving their way along the wall up to the no doubt gorgeous levels above; over their heads hung large a golden chandelier. There was an entrance to the right which Jacob led them through and they found themselves in the lounge room. Veronica spotted the large Christmas tree in the corner by the fireplace as the gang took a seat on the beige sofas.

"We just wanted to check the place out." Veronica stated as she continued to look in awe around the lounge room, loving everything she had seen thus far. "It's just that everything was organized last minute and we don't really know your place well at all."

Jacob flashed them another one of his smiles. "That's alright; I was just about to give Nessie a bottle but I'll give you the tour first."

"Nessie?" Lincoln asks.

"It's Renesmee, Jacob." They turned at the sound of the woman's voice behind them. She was petite, much shorter than Veronica; Lincoln guessed she stood at around five foot four, five foot five tops. She was absolutely beautiful; her black dress accentuated the pale white of her skin and hugged her body perfectly. Her brown hair was pulled up in a loose bun on top of her head with a few curls hanging around her face.

"Hi, I'm Bella Cullen." She smiled as she stuck her hand out, shaking both and Veronica's hands. "It's so great to meet the family who actually booked us for today."

"I am not seeing any problem as to why you aren't fully booked for three months?" Lincoln comments. "This house is… wow. And I'm assuming your food is just as good as your house."

"Well we've actually just opened and I think your party's review may help us get started. Of course if you do review, we'll always have an opening for you." Bella smiled. "It's our way of saying thanks."

"Our?" Veronica asks.

"My husband, Edward. He's also a chef like me, but he works part time as a DJ. Jacob here is one of my closest friends. I honestly don't know how I would've gone through life without him and Edward by my side."

"Must've made quite the fight to be her wife." Jake whispered to LJ.

"Actually, these two were fighting for my love, but in the end, I went to Edward. But Jacob promised to be there for me and he figured that he would love to help me out with this whole catering business." Bella clarified for Jake who she managed to hear.

"By the way, what are your names?" Jacob asks.

"I'm Lincoln Burrows." Lincoln introduces himself with his hand moving towards his chest. He then grabs Veronica closer. "This here is the love of my life, Veronica." And then he moves to the side, allowing Jacob to see Jake and LJ. "And these here are my sons, LJ." He points to LJ. "And Jake is my adopted son." He points to Jake. "Jake has quite the story as to why he's a part of our family."

"Wait a minute." Jacob suddenly was smiling. "LJ and Jake Burrows?"

"Yeah?" The two boys replied.

"Oh my god! Wow! I can't believe I'm meeting the two of you for the first time!" Jacob elatedly said.

Everyone was puzzled by Jacob's reaction. "Uhh…" LJ said.

"I've been talking with your coaches for quite some time. They said that you two were the best things that happened to the football and basketball teams this year." Jacob answered. Suddenly, both LJ and Jake grew excited.

"Wait, are you _the _Jacob Black? Star fullback and shooting guard for the Wentworthville High Trojan Warriors?" LJ asks.

"So the coaches still talk about me, huh?" Jacob asks as he smiles. He was pleased to still be famous to the school.

"Wow! Holy crap! Dude, you're a legend!" LJ said with enthusiasm.

"Thanks. But your coaches are so grateful that you're on the varsity team for both football and basketball. I want to know how you guys do it!"

Bella chuckled. "Okay, how about I give you two the tour of the place while Jacob gets to know your two boys?"

"He's not going to do anything to them, is he?" Veronica asks. She looked at Jacob again; his frame almost monstrous compared to the two average sized teens beside him.

"Well he's probably going to bring them to the entertainment room since he gets bored and plays games on there. Edward tends to join him while I spend time taking care of Renesmee." Bella reassures them. As she said that, the three Wentworthville High sports stars disappeared from view.

*---*

Bella took the two of them through the big house, showing them each of the rooms. Since it was just the four of them, the size of each room was generally larger than the average room of a middle-class working citizen. Almost every room was slightly larger than the regular size of a master bedroom. And, contrary to the numerous windows the house had, there were only four bedrooms; one for Bella and Edward, one for Jacob, one for Renesmee, and a guest room. But the living room they had been sitting in earlier had room to fit sixty people at the very least, and it was there they'd be holding the party.

Lincoln and Veronica were pleased with the arrangements for the party so they went to take a look at the food and what they saw was a table about 25 feet long with food all aligned on it.

"I hope I didn't go overboard love." Edward said as he walked around from behind the table. He was wearing a white apron but also a black suit. He had pale skin, and brown hair like Bella, but it was in a messy, almost undone fashion.

Bella kisses him on the lips. "Well, maybe. What do you guys think?" She turns to Lincoln and Veronica.

"That should be enough. What did you cook by the way?" Veronica asked piqued by curiosity. She didn't know what type of food this couple catered.

"Well since we really didn't get what you would like, we went for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hawaiian, Australian barbeque, American, and…" Edward had a long list going from the top of his head. Lincoln and Veronica were just wide eyed and in surprise at the food they cooked. "And Mexican." He finished, knowing there'd be at least one thing everyone would enjoy.

The only word that Lincoln and Veronica could shoot out is "wow." Bella and Edward smiled at the comment.

"I hope you all can finish that, presuming you have more than 20 friends coming." Edward commented.

"Lincoln and the boys tend to eat a lot when the food is delectable. Not sure about the rest of the party though." Veronica answered.

"Well I guess Jacob can eat as well." Bella sighed. "He can eat like there's no tomorrow. I was going to ask him to stay away from the food. But if there's leftovers, I'm pretty sure he'll-"

"Yeah I'll eat it!" Jacob yelled as he ran through the door, hauling both LJ and Jake under his arms.

"What's going on?" Lincoln asks as he hinted Jacob to drop his boys. He smirked before he placed the boys back on solid ground.

"Jake kicked Jacob's ass in the football game we were playing on the Xbox 360." LJ pointed his thumb backwards. "And it was Jake's first time playing that kind of game."

"Coach Ruder was right about Jake. I didn't think he was that good though at strategizing. Heck, I gave him the crappiest team and he still beat me."

Lincoln smiled and then nudged Jake. "That's my boy."

"I got tired of being beat so I put in the basketball game in and LJ took over. He beat me… actually he thrashed me. He knows how to play this game and the positions a lot better than I do."

"Maybe you just suck at games, Jake." Bella chortled.

"Huh?" Jake asked out of misunderstanding.

Edward hummed. "It's going to be confusing with these two here." Everyone turned to look at him. "Jacob's nickname is Jake. And your son's name is Jake. And we usually call Jacob 'Jake'."

"Okay Jake Burrows needs a new nickname!" LJ mashed his hands together. "How about…?"

"No." Jake quickly interrupted.

"What?" LJ threw his hands up in the air. You didn't even-"

"I'm not going to allow you to give me some whack alias." Jake said. "If I'm going to have to use a nickname, I'll take the one my teammates call me."

"And that is…?" LJ motioned his right hand in a circle for Jake to continue on.

"It was… forget it. You're not going to know what they call me." Jake quickly said. "Dad?" Jake was hoping Lincoln had a nickname.

"How about we just call Jacob 'Jacob'?" Lincoln suggested instead. "Thinking of a nickname to call Jake would confuse everyone else."

"I guess for this one night it'd be alright." Jacob shrugged. "But I'm taking care of Nessie!" He grabs Nessie from Bella and cradles her in his arms. She giggles in his arms and touches Jacob's cheek.

"She's so cute!" Veronica said in a high pitched tone as she smiled. She started cooing and pointing her finger in front of her.

*---*

It was approaching six o'clock and everyone who was invited started pulling into the driveway. They were completely dazzled by the size of the house and more so with Jacob and Lincoln standing at the front door, greeting the guests as they arrived. Edward worked his way to the living room to set up his disc jockey station while Bella stood at the tables to guide people to the food selections they had. While Edward was setting up the speakers, Jake and LJ took the opportunity to help him out. They were done fixing up two while Edward worked on his one. So the two boys switched to the last one and by the time they finished that, Edward finished his. Veronica stuck around with Bella to help with whatever she could.

By quarter to seven, everyone was there, along with a few extra guests who hadn't originally been on the guest list. Michael actually brought His and Lincoln's old friend, Derek. Sara invited Katie for being such a good friend and Katie even brought along C.O. Patterson, who she was now dating. Sucre and Maricruz didn't want to invite their family because Maricruz knew how her family felt about Sucre and Sucre no longer was attached to his cousins. Alex brought Agent Lang and she brought Officer Simon Tulley. Those two were inseparable. Sammie brought Archie Ryan, who she was also dating and even brought Nikki. The party started to gradually grow as friends kept bringing more friends.

At 7, everyone was crowded at the table, grabbing food to eat. LJ and Jake actually had a few friends come along but LJ kept his distance for the time being. He was outside while Jake chatted with his football mates and LJ's basketball mates. They were also talking with Jacob, who seemed more interested in the team than they were with him. He began to realize that the team pulled together once the two Burrows boys were involved. He smiled and was glad that Wentworthville High would have two stars that would be remembered.

At 7:30, LJ finally came back, with a girl and two adults following behind her. Jake noticed immediately and smiled. He was happy that LJ finally came around. LJ brought the girl and the two adults to Lincoln and Veronica.

"Dad. There's something that we need to tell you about."

Lincoln turned around with his plate in his hand and the beer in the other. Once he saw the brown haired girl, who was roughly LJ's height, but rather albino skinned and in a simple white blouse and blue jeans, he immediately knew what this was turning into. Veronica came as she started to see a commotion. Even Michael and Sara got involved. Everyone was out dancing and partying. Jacob knew a good place to spy so he brought Jake to the spot and they could hear exactly what they were saying.

"Dad. This is Chanelle Corlon." LJ introduced his girlfriend next to him. "We've been dating for two months now. And we've hid it from all of you."

"I can't believe you've been dating a convict Channelle!" Her father yelled at her in consternation. "You know better than that!"

"But, dad-" She started, trying to plead with her father, but he wasn't having a bar of it.

"But nothing! I don't want you to have anything to do with these felons!"

His wife started tugging at his shoulder. "Come on. Give them a chance, dear." She endeavored to change the air.

"I will not have my daughter dating some son of a convicted felon!" He was beyond furious.

By this point, Lincoln was already angry that someone would dare say that in front of his family. Everyone grew quiet as the Lincoln and Mr. Corlon exchanged words. They were yelling, at each other's face. Sucre and Michael tried to pull the fight apart but Lincoln was already breaking through. Alex had to help as well as Edward and Simon.. But upstairs, Jake and Jacob could hear exactly what's going on.

"Wow. Didn't expect that to happen." Jake said without sympathy.

"Didn't even know your brother was dating. Why aren't you dating?" Jacob asked.

"Because I don't want to trouble myself with a girlfriend until I'm completely set."

"Old fart." Jacob chortled.

"Shut up!" Jake whispered as loud as possible. "I need to hear this!"

"Hey, what are you two doing up her alone?" An innocent, little, but cute voice came from Jacob's side. They both turned and then jumped. It took a moment for them to recompose themselves as they looked at the little girl who was staring at the two of them. "You two are funny!" She started laughing.

Jacob and Jake shammed a chuckle. "Who are you?" Jake asked.

"My name is Megan Corlon. I'm Chanelle's seven year old sister. My daddy's name is Korbin and my mommy's name is Mia." She said with a cute smile. "What are you two doing?"

"We were… spying." Jake had to use simpler words than his regular vernacular.

"Oh! I want to spy!" She jumped up and down on the floor in excitement and all of a sudden, they heard a crack.

"Shoot! I forgot about the unstable floor!" Jacob yelled.

"What?! WHAT UNSTABLE FLOOR?!" Jake asked. All of a sudden, the crack sounded louder and it wasn't coming from under them, but under Megan, who was jumping up and down excitedly. "Oh crap!" Jake dived and pushed Megan away from the crack and then slammed into the floor, breaking it and causing him to fall through the hole with the debris.

"Crap!" Jacob yelled. He goes to check Megan first. There were a few bruises, but nothing too major. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." She said in an unhappy tone. "Is he going to be okay?" She began to cry now. "It's all my fault!" She yelled as tears trickled down her face.

Jacob tried to calm her down. "It's alright. He'll be fine. Come with me." He held her hand and brought her down with him.

Lincoln, Michael, Sucre, Alex, Derek, Simon Tulley, and Archie Ryan were pulling the debris away to get to Jake when he fell down with the floor. It took them a few minutes to get it out and get to Jake. When they finally pulled the dust and dirt away, Lincoln immediately checked if he was breathing and then Sara and Nikki both went to help.

Lincoln smacked his face a lightly. "Come on. Wake up!" Sammie came from behind him.

"Is he alright? Tell me he'll be alright." Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"Dad, is he alright?" LJ came with Chanelle. They held hands and she caressed it, trying to tell him everything's going to be alright.

"Don't worry LJ. Jake is strong." Chanelle smiled. She knew that everything was not fine, but she could only comfort LJ in his time of need.

"He's breathing. He'll be alright." Sara said as she checks his lungs. Jacob finally reached the bottom of the stairs with Megan. He was approached by Edward, who was incensed.

"What the hell Jacob?! You knew that floor was unstable! Why the hell did you bring him and the girl upstairs?"

"I forgot that the floor was unstable. But Jake and I weren't jumping until the girl came up here jumping excitedly after we told her we were… eavesdropping." Jacob rubbed his head. "The floor cracked as she jumped and Jake pushed her out of the way before the floor completely went under."

"Wait, my daughter was up there?" Korbin asked.

"She went up there and she scared the both of us."

"And Jake actually saved her?" Mia asked.

"Yes. If he didn't push her, your daughter would be the one down there right now, slowly breathing." He looked at Lincoln who was worried. "Sorry." Lincoln went back to check on Jake. "He saved her."

Korbin was just amazed. _Maybe I was a bit too harsh on them. I probably shouldn't have judged them by their actions in the past._ He goes with his wife to pick Megan up from Jacob.

"Are you alright, Megan?" Mia asks. She holds her close to her chest as Megan cries.

"It's all my fault mommy. The boy pushed me to save me from falling." She started crying more. Korbin and Mia started patting her back telling her to shh.

"It's alright, Megan. He'll be fine." Korbin said in a supple tone. "It's okay. Just relax." They took her to the couch to sit as she continued to cry.

*---*

Everyone was calm and back to normal in 15 minutes. Jake had awoken from the fall. He had a slight head injury, but nothing too serious. This was a huge load off of everyone's back, more for Jacob, who was in trouble with Edward. Jake was breathing fine but he wanted to know if Megan was alright and Korbin and Mia had approached him and Lincoln.

"She's fine. She's actually sad that you got hurt for saving her." Korbin answered for him.

"Oh. I see. I'll be back. Where is she? I want to let her know that I'm okay." Jake knew that Korbin and Mia wanted to start over with Lincoln and his family so he needed an excuse to get out.

"She's with Chanelle and LJ." Mia answered with a smile which meant she said 'thank you.'

"Thank you!" Jake dashed off as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Jake! Slow down! Don't hurt yourself!" Lincoln yelled from behind him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Jake yelled back without any care at all. He quickly snakes through the crowd to the couch.

Lincoln shakes his head and Veronica grabs him by the arm, wanting to dance with him during the slow song. But they were stopped by Korbin and Mia, who looked a little more apologetic than usual.

"Mr. Burrows, before I want to say this, although it's probably killing me from the inside." Korbin then sighs. "You have no idea how hard it is for me to actually go in a whole different direction now."

"Actually, I understand completely." Lincoln reassured him with a smile. "Look, I'm sorry I got mad. It's just hard to stand by and have someone insult my family. Or hurt my kids."

Korbin chuckled. "You should've let me go first man. I wanted to say sorry for my actions as well and that I'm sorry that my little girl nearly caused you to lose your son today."

"Hey, it's alright." Lincoln put his hand on his shoulder. "By the way, I wanted to speak to you about Chanelle and LJ." He pulled him away from Veronica and Mia, who were watching as the two of them chatted about the whole boyfriend, girlfriend situation.

"I can't believe all this happened tonight." Mia said as she stared at Korbin and Lincoln. "Our daughter is dating and we get invited to such a great party. And now my husband's found a new friend."

Veronica chuckled. "LJ dating was one that I expected, but I wasn't expecting it to be so soon. And to tell you the truth, this one planned at the absolute last minute. We were lucky to come by such great caterers."

Bella walks behind them quickly. "Thank you!" She said and quickly dashes up to Edward's DJ station.

Mia and Veronica laughed together. "I can't believe the story you guys went through. I mean I read the newspaper about the hearing for Jake. I knew that Lincoln, Michael, Fernando Sucre, and Alex Mahone weren't bad people. But Korbin has been so protective of his daughter dating that she's been finding it hard trying to find a date who will actually stand up to her dad."

"LJ's a great kid and he's too much like Lincoln."

"Wait, you're not married to him yet?" Mia asked.

"Well, not yet. But I know Lincoln's working on it. It's been three months since we came back and nothing too serious-"

"Besides the Kyubor Mafia."

Veronica smiled. "Right. Besides the Kyubor Mafia. Happened."

"Hey, let's pull our boys back and bring them to dance. I'm not wasting this wonderful opportunity to dance to this slow song!" Mia suggested. Veronica smiled and the two of them raced and grabbed their boys to dance.

Everyone who was coupled was on the floor. LJ with Chanelle, Lincoln with Veronica, Korbin and Mia, Michael and Sara, Sucre and Maricruz, Alex and Pam, Bella, Renesmee and Edward, Agent Lang and Simon Tulley, Sammie and Archie Ryan, and Jacob and Nikki. But the cutest couple on the floor by far was Cameron and Megan. Jake sat down on the couch and laughed as he hung out with some of the football team who didn't have dates for this party as well as some of the basketball team. Then Lincoln asked Edward to get everyone quiet and to listen to him and Michael.

"Alright. So I know everyone's been enjoying the party so I wanted to say that we should give a great round of applause to Jacob Black, Bella Cullen, Edward Cullen, and their baby, Renesmee Cullen!" Lincoln said into the microphone. Everyone clapped their hands for them and they bowed down graciously. Bella quickly took Renesmee to her room because it was time for her to sleep. She came back down almost immediately.

"Okay. So to tell everyone the truth, Veronica and I decided to throw this a week before Christmas Eve. And I'll admit, doing stuff like that last minute was the stupidest thing that I've done in my life." Lincoln said into the mike and he smiled.

"So getting sent to prison wasn't the stupidest thing you've done yet?" Sucre joked. Everyone laughed.

"Yeah, it wasn't. But for you, Sucre, you still can't spell 'passion' correctly." Lincoln joked back.

"So how did you spell it?" Michael asked. "Oh right! It was 'P-a-s-h-i-o-n'" Everyone then laughed at Sucre and he blushed.

"That's cute, baby!" Maricruz said as she kissed him on the lips.

"See! She said it was cute!" Sucre said after he pulled out.

Michael chuckled. "Okay so for the main reason we wanted everyone to be quiet was because Linc and I have two final gifts to give to end this Christmas gift session."

"You mean it didn't end with you and dad as well as Sara and Veronica ripping open your presents like little kids this morning?" LJ asks, causing a snicker to ripple through the crowd.

"No it didn't end LJ." Michael said. "But to go on, our two gifts are for LJ and Jake."

"So come on boys, come on up here on the stage!" Lincoln ushers them to come and they run up to the stage.

"Now if this is a prank, remember this. What you both come up with Jake and I can come up with something ten times as worse." LJ grins evilly.

"No it's not a prank." Lincoln pulls out an old watch. "This is my dad, your grandpa's old watch." It was golden but there were parts where it was partially rusty. The time on it had roman numerals but inside was a design of a diamond. The hands were set at 9 PM.

"He gave it to me before he disappeared on us. Now I know that Alex is feeling bad right now, but I forgive you man. Really." Lincoln smiled and Alex felt better.

"Anyways, I've had it for awhile, but now I'm giving it to you LJ. From me. It's a precious heirloom to me and I feel that you deserve it now." Lincoln passes the watch to him. LJ puts the watch on his wrist and it actually latched around like a perfect fit.

"Thanks dad. I love it." LJ smiled and hugged his dad tight.

"Okay now my turn." Michael pulls out a necklace that had a flawlessly cut Sapphire attached to it. The chain looked completely new. "Jake, this is something that Linc and I had from our mom for such a long time after she died. We always looked at it whenever we needed to be reminded about her."

"Now shouldn't you also give that to LJ? I mean I'm not even blood." Jake closed Michael's hands.

"Just because you aren't blood doesn't mean that you're not a Burrows, kiddo." Lincoln said.

"He's right." Michael approved. He opens his hands again. "By heart, and I know mom is watching us now, you're a Burrows. And she and our father would agree if they were here. This gift is yours and you definitely belong with us."

Jake was nervous, but he took the necklace anyways. It slipped out of his hand and he caught it as LJ put his hand out to catch it as well. The gem collided with the face of the watch and then the time got fixated on 3 PM.

"What the hell?" LJ wondered what just happened. Lincoln looked at the watch and then took it back to fix the time.

"Damn thing must be ancient. I wonder when dad bought this." Lincoln passes the watch back to LJ and he puts it back on.

"That happened before, always would point to 3 PM when this necklace touched it. Not sure why." Michael scratched his head. "Well, to end this, these are your gifts! I hope you two enjoy them from us!"

"We will Uncle. We will." LJ smiled. He and Jake both hugged Michael and Lincoln and everyone went back to dancing. The last song they played was the Electric Slide.

Outside though, someone was watching them.

"Yeah. They're all in there. And it looks like they still have them." The mysterious man said into his phone.

"Make sure to keep track of it. Those boys won't go down easily." The sound of a woman's voice came from the other end of the phone. "After all, there are more ways to get this to work."

"Are you sure you don't want me to charge in there right now?" This time it sounded like a man with a southern accent. "Because if not, my buddy is waiting for me because he's hopelessly lost."

"Let them be happy for now. Because soon, and I mean soon, that happiness will come to an end." The lady hangs up the phone.

"Are you sure this will work?" Another woman asks her in her office.

The blonde haired woman turns around in her chair. "Of course. And we both know how much you hate that man. I hate him as well and it'll all turn out for the best now that we've managed to work your marriage off."

"Good. They're going to pay dearly for what they caused me." The black haired woman grinned.

"All we need is time. And I'm sure he will compensate for that time."


End file.
